Truffle
- Cleaning
Remove any soil from truffles just before eating. They must be washed with water and brushed. The outside must be immaculate since they will be used unpeeled. Dry with a paper towel.
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Cooking
The fungus is scraped or grated onto food and into sauces and soups just before eating. Truffle slicers have been especially designed for this purpose. Experts recommend that veal, chicken, fish, soufflés, omelets, pasta, and rice can be glorified with thinly sliced truffles. Cream and cheese sauces avidly take up their flavor.
Insert thin wedges of truffle under the skin of a chicken and store it overnight in the refrigerator before roasting.
A well-known chef prepares a high-quality pâté de foie gras baked with a stainless steel tube running through the center. As soon as the pâté is cooked, he fills the tube with diced uncooked truffles and then removes the tube.
T. magnatum, the most aromatic of the truffles, is crushed in olive oil in Italy, filtered, and dispensed in 3-ounce medicine bottles with eye droppers. Some suspect that the crushed truffles are then packed in cans for sale in foreign markets. Call local cooking schools or specialty shops to locate this juice. Only a few drops are needed to strengthen the flavor of prepared truffles.
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Preserving
The pungent odor of a truffle will penetrate the shells of eggs and flavor kernels of rice when stored with them in a closed glass jar placed in a refrigerator. Once the prize truffle has been consumed, the eggs may be enjoyed in an omelets and the rice in pilaf.
Truffles can be frozen for two weeks in a freezer-proof glass jar. Another recommendation is to store them whole in bland oil.
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Truffle Butter
The aroma and flavor of truffles are heat sensitive. Truffle butter is a good way to get the most from your aromatic gem since it is not heated.
Finely grate a fresh truffle and add to softened unsalted butter in proportions to suit your taste. Use enough butter so that the mixture is spread able and not crumbly. Let stand at room temperature for an hour. Spread on crackers, French bread, or baked potatoes. Truffle butter freezes well.
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