The Basics Of Cooking Truffles

Aside from the fact that truffles are rare, intensive and slow to harvest, truffles also provide a delicate and earthly flavour which makes it a jewel in the culinary world.  And a jewel comes with a price.  A pound usually costs from hundreds or thousands of dollars.  But the culinary experience and delight that one gets from them is truly worth it. 

Make sure to remove all dirt on the truffle before eating.  Wash it with water and brush it lightly.  There are truffle brushes which are meant to remove mold and dirt.  Soft truffles like the Italian white are better left un-brushed.  

Truffles should be consumed immediately after harvest. Although, it could lat for several days placed in a refrigerator, it should be ideally used as soon as possible.  When storing truffles in the refrigerator, avoid keeping them in plastic containers because they need air.  Keep them in paper bags.  You could also place them inside jars and store them in the freezer.  You could also infuse the truffles in oil to preserve them. 

When cooking with truffles, there are several guidelines in order to enhance or heighten the flavour. 

• Keep the flavour of the truffle as the center of the dish. Do not overwhelm  it with food with strong flavours. 

• Fats like butter, oil and even cheese could bring out the flavour of the mushroom. 

• To bring out the flavour of the truffle more, limit the quantity to 8-10 grams of truffle per person.  Shave or slice the fungi using the truffle shaver. 

• If you peeled the mushroom, keep it. You could use it in other recipes. 

• Preserved truffles do not have the same level of flavour as the fresh one.  To enhance it, you could add truffle infused oil or paste on the recipe. 

According to Davidoff Café there are tested culinary matches for each variety of truffle. 

• Italian white truffles go great with pasta, eggs, butter, cream, chicken, walnuts, risotto and mildly bitter greens.  This kind of ruffle is best when shaved raw and uncooked.  They could be add at the last minute, so that the heat from cooking would not destroy the aroma of the fungi. 

• Black French truffles are compatible with dark meat poultry like ducks and venison, red meet and red wine sauces.  They also blend well with mild cheeses like sweet goat cheese, pastry and pancetta. Unlike the Italian white, they need to simmer slowly along with the dish. 

• Oregon white truffles are very much like the Italian white, it is white and juicy.   They are very versatile. It could go well with the kinds of dishes listed in the Italian white.  It could be used both raw or cooked along with the sauce or the dish.  However, do not simmer it as long as you would do with the black French truffle. 

You could do simple but sensational dishes.  Try crumbling truffles on a scrambled eggs or add shaved pieces on a risotto.  With truffles, you just need to keep in mind that small amounts generate big results.  
