Truffles for Breakfast

Truffles for Breakfast

One of the major advantages of food writing is that people send you stuff to try out in the kitchen and eat. Yesterday afternoon, I received a bag of truffles from Western Australia’s The Wine & Truffle Company (Ding-ding).



I opened the vac-sealed bag this morning, took out two of the half-dozen little bastids, and vac-sealed the rest (I plan to freeze them, which I’m told does them no harm – and there’s no way I can eat all of these while The Wife is out of town).

At a recent dinner at Grace, we had truffle on a bunch of dishes, but the creation that stood out most prominently, the one that maximized the truffle-ness, was a the one I posted about almost immediately on FB : “Rarely does a truffle dish deliver such deep and powerful truffle flavor: a crème caramel with scallion, chive blossom, and, of course, a generous helping of the black diamond.”

I’ve decided that razoring truffle over pasta, though I’d never turn down the resulting dish, is maybe not the best way to extract and diffuse the precious flavor. I decided to prepare them in eggs.

I don’t have a precise scale in my kitchen, so I don’t know how much my bulbous friend weighed or how much I cut, but using the sharpest blade I could find, I slivered maybe a tablespoon of truffle off the chunk.

The freshness of these truffles was intriguing. I’ve bought truffles before, but now I know that those were old ones: they were dry and lifeless.

These were full of life, almost moist inside, but very hard, with a chalky, cake-like density to the meat; it was crumbly, kind of like good chocolate, and like some chocolate, very black, with white pinpoints (kind of like a starry night, I might say, but I already feel my prose is maybe already tottering on the purple precipice).

I spent a minute just inhaling the fungi: the aroma was deep and yet very fresh. I think I got a little dizzy. I sat down. Then I continued making breakfast.

This morning, it was just eggs and truffles. I cooked the eggs very slowly, maybe 15 minutes, to extract the truffle essence and avoid browning the egg even a little. There was a temptation to turn up the heat and get to breakfast faster, but I resisted, took my time, sent an Instagram, tried to distract myself.

What I got were eggs that were lightly custardy (what I was going for!), a slightly dense pillow that cushioned each truffle chunk in a pocket of perfumed deliciousness.



But I did screw up.

Having never enjoyed such riches before, I was insufficiently careful in how thin I cut them. Some pieces didn’t soften sufficiently and so were a little crunchy. I was fascinated by the texture but felt that next time I should cut the truffles in thinner pieces, the better to infuse the surrounding medium with their goodness.

So I’m going to experiment more with these guys, get to know them, and remember them, probably, forever.

3 things:
1) maybe careful use of a box grater would remedy the slicing problem
2) your description of the fresh truffle reminds me of crumbling a different black compound back in the 80's...
3) while I'm sure your lovely wife will be excited to share your bounty when she gets back, if you don't want to test out the freezer storage for too long, I'm betting there are a few folks who would be HAPPY to help you use them while fresh

A delicious post--thank you!!

Jen, I would be happy to give you the biggest truffle of the bunch if you can pick it up before Monday and, most critically, if you split it with one other member of the LTH community (you decide with whom and how: cut in half, prepared into a dish you share, whatever works).

Let me know if you get a better deal than this today.

I'm curious - could you walk into a nice restaurant with a truffle in hand, and ask them to prepare something special for you in exchange for keeping the rest of the truffle? I'm imagining a sort of high-end C.W. Swappigan's.

Independent George wrote:I'm curious - could you walk into a nice restaurant with a truffle in hand, and ask them to prepare something special for you in exchange for keeping the rest of the truffle? I'm imagining a sort of high-end C.W. Swappigan's.

Interesting thought, but I'm keen on trying my hand at preparing them...mistakes and regrets anticipated.

Isn't that just what cooking is, trial and error? We experiment with ingredients we've never tried, or never cooked with, or never paired with other ingredients, or never cooked via a particular method. We make mistakes, we learn . . . but the best part is: our mistakes are still usually edible and delicious.

As for your black truffle experiment, other than slicing them thinner, perhaps sautéing them a bit before incorporating them into the eggs next time?

BR wrote:Isn't that just what cooking is, trial and error?

Yes.

BR wrote:As for your black truffle experiment, other than slicing them thinner, perhaps sautéing them a bit before incorporating them into the eggs next time?

I thought about sautéing, but wondered if that might not "injure" the tender tissue. If anyone has ever sautéed them first, I'd love to hear about the results.

What about Robuchon-style mashed potatoes? With all of that butter in there, the truffle flavor should diffuse nicely throughout the entire dish, with the final shaving at the end pushing it over the top.

This might sound weird, but what about a cheesecake? A savory cheesecake preferably, but I can imagine the truffles working nicely with the texture and the richness even in a sweet one.

Independent George wrote:What about Robuchon-style mashed potatoes? With all of that butter in there, the truffle flavor should diffuse nicely throughout the entire dish, with the final shaving at the end pushing it over the top.

This might sound weird, but what about a cheesecake? A savory cheesecake preferably, but I can imagine the truffles working nicely with the texture and the richness even in a sweet one.

Mashed potatoes definitely on the horizon; cheesecake is interesting thought.

under the skin of a chicken before roasting, in risotto (held in the rice first), shaved over a white pizza.
I dont think I would cook it too much but if I did cook with the truffle I'd add fresh when plating.

I'd drive to OP for a truffle!
Happy to post the results here

David Hammond wrote:Jen, I would be happy to give you the biggest truffle of the bunch if you can pick it up before Monday and, most critically, if you split it with one other member of the LTH community (you decide with whom and how: cut in half, prepared into a dish you share, whatever works).

Let me know if you get a better deal than this today.

I am pleased to report that Jen is going to be sharing her truffle with four other LTHers.

In the event that I receive more truffles (not impossible), or an abundance of any other worthy and divisible food item (highly likely), I plan to tithe similarly to the LTH community.

Dang! Hoping at least one of the LTH'ers doesn't read this since it's being incorporated into a birthday surprise for her

Australia is a great location for fine dining, their success with raising truffles being just one of the reasons. (And, actually, their desire to raise truffles being one of the hints that they've got some serious foodies there.) I'm delight to hear the good report from David.

And if someone does send another boat load of truffles, please add me to the list of people who would love to have a sliver.

I'd be glad to loan you my truffle mandoline to help you achieve true truffleness. Must say I've never had any that impressed that weren't from France or Italy. Oregon and China are both bullshit.

Have not heard great things about AUS truffles.
The one I had was not worth the $ paid for it (glad it was not my $!)
Glad to see they are giving them away so people write nice things about them on the internets...

The French Laundry is buying their truffles from Australia, so they can't be all that bad.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/worlds-best-sniff-out-aussie-truffles/story-fnay3ubk-1226457167450

They do have regional differences, with the best coming from Tasmania (where they are growing the French Perigord truffles.) So maybe you didn't get a truffle that had regional variations you considered acceptable, mhill95149. But I don't think Thomas Keller would accept them, even for free, if there weren't some pretty good truffles coming out of Oz.

Clearly, I handled this give-away incorrectly. I just randomly decided to give back and do something nice for a few members of the community and apparently I ended up angering people who felt they should have been one of those recipients. Next time, I'll do a lottery or something more impersonal and objective, but it still feels very right to share stuff I receive with LTH friends. I mean, who better?

So I posed the question to a friend yesterday, and I got a text this morning with exactly two words:

Lobster Roll.

I have no idea what lobster actually tastes like, but I imagine it to be mild enough to not fight with the truffle, and the mayo makes perfect sense, and it's simple enough that it sounds like it would work.

David Hammond wrote:Clearly, I handled this give-away incorrectly. I just randomly decided to give back and do something nice for a few members of the community and apparently I ended up angering people who felt they should have been one of those recipients. Next time, I'll do a lottery or something more impersonal and objective, but it still feels very right to share stuff I receive with LTH friends. I mean, who better?

Personally, I imagined a crude circle drawn in the dirt, surrounded by a loud, jeering crowd. Two LTHers enter from opposite ends. Between them, at the center, one truffle, and one knife.

Independent George wrote:So I posed the question to a friend yesterday, and I got a text this morning with exactly two words:

Lobster Roll.

I have no idea what lobster actually tastes like, but I imagine it to be mild enough to not fight with the truffle, and the mayo makes perfect sense, and it's simple enough that it sounds like it would work.

The thing about a lobster roll is that, to me, it tastes exactly like the sum of its parts...and I could see how a truffle mayo might elevate this simple sandwich considerably.

Independent George wrote: I have no idea what lobster actually tastes like

Smiled as I read this because I actually ended a relationship with a guy because he kept strict kosher--no shellfish in the house or out--and, specifically, I couldn't imagine a life without lobster. He went on to become a semi-famous network morning show personality and I...well I'm still not keeping anything close to kosher Strangely though, while I still like lobster, it's no longer something I would refuse to give up.

boudreaulicious wrote:Strangely though, while I still like lobster, it's no longer something I would refuse to give up.

Regarding the lure of the forbidden or simply unavailable [http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=37928], lobster is a classic example of a just fine sea creature that is cherished, in part, because it's expensive to acquire...now. It was once considered trash food: http://voices.yahoo.com/when-lobster-was-trash-food-hamburger-was-more-235381.html

For a luncheon event the other day at The Casino Club, we did a brown butter gnocchi (chive and Reggiano) with favas and pea shoots and shaved the Australian truffles over the warm gnocchi. Just as flavorful as the winter Perigourd in my opinion. (Chanterelles arrived too late to include in the dish)

My plan for it is Fried Zucchini Blossoms (just picked from the garden) stuffed with ricotta, anchovy and thyme, with a truffle vinaigrette and shaved truffle on top. Hopefully someone will post a picture...

I had another thought - what about cold soba noodles? They have a different texture from Italian pastas, and cooked with dashi, there's a kind of earthiness that I think would go well with truffles.

I'm far from a truffle expert but I really enjoyed having one to play with!! The final dish consisted of fried blossoms (batter made from 5 Rabbit 5 Lizard and flour), stuffed with a puree of ricotta, anchovy and thyme, lightly dressed with an anchovy truffle vinaigrette and freshly grated truffle over the top. It was gorgeously decadent. We also used a bit of the truffle to top the baked potatoes we served with the meal.

I still have a bit left and it's currently intoxicating a container of Arborio...stay tuned...

The birthday girl enjoyed her celebration as did the rest of the crew--thanks David!!!

As others have said, put them in a non-pourous container along with arborio rice and eggs. The aroma will permeate any porous container (like the eggs and rice) and could be tough to use again. But the eggs/pasta/risotto will have a great underlying flavor. If you make your own pasta, you can shave some before you fold it the last time and run it through the pasta roller.

To be honest, you can grate them on just about anything. Mac & Cheese is always a winner. You might be surprised, but corn on the cob is a great pairing. And frankly putting truffle on something as common as corn on the cob is just a great indulgence. Just make sure to use the best butter you can find as well.

I've been living in Australia for 3 years now and this is the best time of year. Truffles are on just about every menu. Truffles are similar to fruit. The first peach of the season is nice, but there's definitely a peak point for them. Truffles can be the same. Wait a bit later into the season and they become a bit more pungent. And the fact that you can get 100 grams for $120 doesn't hurt either.

Planning to put some in potato salad. Should I just make the salad and put truffles in at last minute...or put in way earlier to infuse salad with delicious fungal vapors.

David Hammond wrote:Planning to put some in potato salad. Should I just make the salad and put truffles in at last minute...or put in way earlier to infuse salad with delicious fungal vapors.

I'd vote for perfuming your mayo or vinaigrette, and adding shavings to the dish before serving.

I worked for a Paris trained Iraqi-Israeli chef in Dallas, by the name of Avner Samuel, who was chef of The Mansion on Turtle Creek before Dean Fearing took over. Avner did a "warm truffle potato salad" with lamb loin. We sautéed thinly sliced red potatoes in very good olive oil until just tender. S & P to taste. Right at the end, we added lots of fresh chopped herbs and a huge handful of thinly sliced truffle to perfume everything.

Almost everything on the menu was cooked in olive oil and finished with an abundance of chopped herbs. To this day, whenever I smell herbs going into hot olive oil, I stop for a moment to remember those good times. Avner made a mean falafel, which we used to enjoy with our Egyptian Room Service Manager.

Avner is still going strong in Dallas. http://www.nosheurobistro.com/