Truffles

What better method to include an exquisitely earthy flavor and strong aroma to your dishes than adding some truffles? Truffles are a special kind of mushroom with wrinkled and intermittent shapes. The difficulty of finding them and their scarcity make them all the more valuable and naturally, costly. For culinary purposes, truffles can be so versatile as they can be put into almost every delicacy. If you want to use them, the accompanying are several tips on cooking with truffles.

* Know the main difference between truffle varieties. Even if they’re better known for their strong flavor and fragrance, truffles still vary in those departments depending on the fungal species. For example, a Chinese truffle is different from Italian truffle, despite the fact that they are both black. The Chinese variety has weaker flavor, while the Italian variety has more culinary significance. Keep that in mind when you browse for truffles. To know the difference, smell them. The Italian truffle has a stronger odor.

* Clean the truffles first before eating them. Wash them with water and brush them softly to remove soil that’s stuck in them.

* Don’t outlet the truffles for too long, lest they will lose their flavor. Truffles easily diminish the strength of their flavor, so consume them soon after you purchased them.

* Use truffles sparingly. They’re not like garlic or bell peppers that you can add to your dishes in generous amounts. Remember, these mushrooms already have strong smell and flavor, so a few slices or a little shavings will do.

* Eat them raw. Cooking truffles, especially the white varieties, is not a good idea because it only decreases the strong natural taste.

* Pair them with the correct food. Although truffles can be blended with any food, certain varieties best complement certain types of food. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people ask what chocolate truffles made from and while the obvious answer is chocolate, things get a little more complicated than that. The ingredients that go in to chocolate truffles are more than only ‘chocolate’ and include a laundry list of items depending on the variety of truffle you would like to make.

The tasty confection known as the chocolate truffle first appeared in Chambery, France in 1895 when they were created by Dufour. Truffles soon traveled to London in 1902 as the Dufour family set up a chocolate shop in the area distributing the sweet treats. As the sweet and succulent treat began to travel worldwide there became three variations of truffles. The European, American and Swiss truffle.

Every variety of truffle is slightly different from the other. The European chocolate truffle implements syrup and a base of milk powder, cocoa powder, and fats, which end in an oil-in-water emulsion. The American chocolate truffle is a mix of dark or milk chocolate with butterfat and on occasion hardened coconut oil. The Swiss chocolate truffle is created by pouring melted chocolate into a boiled mixture of cream and butter. When Swiss truffles are hardened they are sprinkled with cocoa powder instead of being covered with a hard shell of chocolate. Due to the use of fresh dairy ingredients Swiss truffles have a shorter shelf life as opposed to American and European truffle varieties.

The commonly used recipe for the chocolate truffle focuses on a round chocolate shell containing a custom made chocolate ganache. Occasionally the chocolate shell is replaced with cocoa powder (as in Swiss truffles) and with each variety of truffle the chocolate ganache can be replaced with an equally delicious but widely varied candy filling. In the basic chocolate truffle, the ganache within the center is a combination of chocolate and cream. The amounts of chocolate and cream and the quality of these ingredients vary by each truffle manufacturer and the variation of truffle. Read the rest of this entry »

The Truffle is a wonderful ingredient and acclaimed by some of the worlds greatest chefs as probably the greatest ingredient in the world as well as one of the most exclusive and expensive. But what about cooking with the truffle? There are some golden rules that should be followed to get the most from the wonderful flavour of the truffle. Simply follow these rules to experience one of the greatest flavours in the world.

Rule 1 Be careful what other foods you use with the truffle since its flavour should be relished and never overwhelmed by other strong flavours and odours. The flavour of the truffle is too exquisite to be lost amongst more mundane ingredients. Make the truffle the king of the recipe, and mix it with relatively bland ingredients such as pasta, potatoes and rice.

Rule 2 Use fatty foods to enhance the flavour of the truffle. Foods such as butter, cheese, cream and various oils blend really well with the earthy flavour of the truffle and actually enhance it.

Rule 3 Maximise the surface area of the truffle by shaving, thinly slicing or grating. Again this will bring out the flavour of the truffle and its distinctive aromas. Aim to use 10-15 grammes per person to avoid overdoing the flavours.

Rule 4 Use fresh truffles wherever possible since these have the best flavours. Truffles are best consumed within 3 days of picking and will then start to lose flavour quite quickly. A good alternative is to use preserved truffles, which have a much longer shelf life, and add some truffle oil to maximise the flavour. Done correctly, the flavours will approach those of freshly picked truffles at a fraction of the price. Read the rest of this entry »