Truffles

Cleaning The Black Truffle

When you have fresh black winter truffles, do not clean them until your are ready to eat them. Other wise they will spoil quicker. Remove any soil from the black truffles just before using them in any recipe. They must be washed with water and a nail brush under running water. The truffle must be completely clean since they will be used unpeeled. Dry well with a paper towel.

The black truffle (Tuber Melanosporum) must always be used as a condiment, not as a food. Use only fresh truffles, if possible. To enjoy and appreciate the black truffles, 100 g is enough. With this amount we can make several recipes.

How to use black truffles to flavor food.

Use an airtight container and put together the food you want to flavor with the black truffle. Close the container and leave it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. The aroma of the black truffle will penetrate the food in the sealed container. The black truffle aroma adheres to fatty foods best.

Truffled eggs

Take half a dozen eggs and place them in an airtight container with a fresh black winter truffle, washed and wrapped in paper towel, but not completely wrap the truffle. Close the container and put in the fridge for two days. The high porosity of the eggshell will allow the aroma of the truffle to penetrate the eggs. Then you can use these eggs to make truffled flan, use in stuffing or just eat them fried. You can add a little sliced garlic to the hot olive oil before frying the eggs. Fry the eggs when the garlic is slightly brown. These truffled eggs will delight your palate. Read the rest of this entry »

Tuber Magnatum – Italian White Truffle

The Italian white truffle (Tuber magnatum) is found primarily below 600 meters ASL in Northern Italy and up to 900 meters ASL in Central Italy. It is also found in small areas of south-eastern France, in Istria, Croatia, and the Ticino district of Switzerland.

The mean January temperatures in these areas range from -2 to 8°C and mean July temperatures from 18 to 26°C. The mean annual precipitation varies from 500 to 2000 mm, which is spread more or less evenly throughout the year. Though in summer, this rain is usually as thunderstorms.

In Italy, this truffle is found in woods with more or less closed canopies, also in areas with relatively sparse vegetation along stream beds. Host trees include the hazelnut (Corylus avellana), willows (Salix spp.), hop hornbeam (Ostrya carpinifolia), Italian alder (Alnus cordata), poplars and aspens (Populus spp.) and oaks (Quercus spp.). The most productive hosts are poplars and willows.

The Italian truffle is harvested from mid August until the end of December. In August and early September, the fruiting truffles are usually severely infested by insect larvae such as Suillia univittata.

Unlike the black truffle, the Italian truffle is used either uncooked or added to dishes after cooking. The white truffle is used as flavouring for salads or pasta, to retain its delicate and volatile aroma. As the black truffle is usually used in cooked dishes and is harvested between November and March, there is little competition in the marketplace between the two types of truffles.

Tuber magnatum (Italian white truffle) is the most expensive of the truffles. It is considered to be the queen of all truffles while the black truffle is considered king in gastronomic circles. Read the rest of this entry »