Five Ways with Truffles

1. Truffled Eggs and Rice

Truffles emit moisture as they age, so they need to be stored carefully to preserve them.  The best way to store truffles (and incidentally, the best way to get value for money from your truffles) is to place them into an airtight container with raw arborio rice and some raw eggs and store the lot in the fridge.

There should be enough there should be enough rice to cover both the truffles and the eggs.  The egg shells are porous and will take up the truffle aroma within a day or two.  The rice will absorb the truffle aroma too, while keeping the truffles dry.    

As you use the eggs, replace them with new ones which will also take up the subtle, earthy aroma of your little black nugget.  The rice that is left will make a delicious, subtly flavoured risotto, which will benefit from a garnish of shaved or finely chopped black truffle.  

2. Shaved & Diced  

This is the classic way to put a truffle hit into your dishes. use a mandolin or truffle slicer to shave wafer thin slices of fresh black truffle over the top of a hot dish just before serving (think classic roast chicken served with a light jus, topped with finely shaved truffle – the warmth of the cooked meat gently releases the aroma of the truffle), or finely chop about 10g of black truffle (until it resembles the grated dark chocolate) and sprinkle on cheesy cauliflower gratin or thick, creamy potato mash finished with a dollop of best artisan butter.  Perfection!  

3. Truffle Butter  

About 10g of black truffle will be enough to flavour about 250g butter.  Finely chop truffle until it resembles grated chocolate.  mash up 250g of good quality butter until it is soft. Add the finely chopped truffle and combine the two until the truffle is evenly mixed through.  

For added aroma, and to make the butter easier to work with, add a dash of truffle oil while combining the truffle into the butter mixture. Shape the truffled butter into a log and wrap in baking paper.  Keep refrigerated. Use within five days.  

4. Truffled Pasta   

Using the best fresh fettucini, linguini or spaghetti you can find, cook the pasta until al dente in heavily salted water. drain and return to the pot. while the pasta is still piping hot, toss through several generous discs of truffle butter, until the pasta is well coated.   

Garnish with generous amounts of shaved or chopped truffle.  the heat of the pasta will release the wonderful aroma of the truffle. Voila!  

5. Truffled Eye Fillet  

What could be better on winter’s night than a beautifully cooked eye fillet, topped with a generous disc of truffle butter?  The butter will melt over and coat the steak, and the heat of the meat will release the gorgeous aromas contained within the truffle.    Serve with creamy mashed potato and roasted root vegetables fresh from the garden. The simplest pleasures are often the best!