Cooking With Truffles
Truffles are hypogenous (underground) mushrooms that resemble stones and vary in size from a marble to a large ball. Few truffles are poisonous. However only a small number of truffles are considered to be delicacies by people throughout the world. Most truffles do not break the surface of the oil and instead must rely on animals to eat them and distribute their spores in order to grow more of their kind. To attract animals, truffles developed scents that grow stronger as they mature. Truffles grow 3 to 12 inches usually outside the roots of trees such as the oak, chestnut, and hazelnut and do not grow beyond the range of the branches. Truffle hunters or truffle farmers use trained pigs or dogs to locate the truffles that may be underground and ready to be taken carefully out. Truffles are not easy to cultivate and although farmers and scientists have managed through the last thirty years to improve the ability to grow truffles there is still not a full guarantee of growth. Truffles can take six or more years to mature before it can be seen if truffles are growing or not. When truffles are ready to harvest the process is very methodical, slow, and labor intensive. These facts about truffles make them one of the most expensive delicacies in the world.
After truffles are methodically harvested, truffles should be placed in paper bags with appropriate markings on the bag to differentiate the varieties that were harvested. This is especially important for truffle hunters to do because an expert will be needed to ensure they are edible.
Truffles can last for several days in a paper bag placed in a refrigerator. One should not place truffles in a plastic container because the lack of air from a sealed container is bad for them. A second way to keep truffles is to place them in a jar then in the freezer where they can last for several months. A third way truffles can be preserved is to put them in oil. However, if there is no pasteurization the shelf life of truffles at room temperature will be limited. A fourth way to store truffles is to put them in rice, but all the flavor of the truffles will be absorbed by the rice. The ideal way to use truffles is to consume them as soon as possible as fresh as possible.
When truffles are used in cooking they are generally eaten raw or are very lightly cooked because the flavor compounds of the truffle are highly unpredictable. Here are a few guidelines for using truffles in dishes.
First: The truffle should not to be used with other foods with strong flavors and overwhelming aromas. The flavors can clash so it is better to use truffles to flavor bland foods like pasta, rice, and potatoes.
Second: Fat is good for the truffle. Fat helps bring out the full flavor of the truffle, which is why they are paired with butter, cheese, and oils.
Third: One should maximize the flavor of the truffle by shaving, slivering, or slicing it. Anything more and the diner will not get the most taste from the truffle.
Fourth: Save the peel from a truffle. Do not throw away because the peel can add flavor to other recipes including sauces.
Fifth: If one has preserved truffles, they will not have the same flavor so if the is wish to enhance before preservation use Truffle oil or Concentrato or a Truffle Paste.
Sixth: Fresh truffles should be used within 3 days of purchase. Preserved truffles have a long shelf life if left unopened in the jar but once opened consume within a week.
Seventh: When using any truffle in a recipe one should be aware of the flavor it has before putting it with any food. Either trying the truffle first yourself or read about it beforehand to make the best use a truffle in a recipe.
The truffle is a world prize to those who farm it for profit, to the truffle hunters, to the people in the world market who sell it, and finally to those who cook with it. The truffle, although not fully tamed, has dazzled appetites and continues to grow in stature. It may take a lot to get a truffle to grow and come to harvest but the taste, aroma, and pleasure the truffle can bring to the taste buds is well worth it.
Permanent link to this post: Cooking With Truffles
From the Free - food and drink recipes weblog
Read also:
- How to Select Chocolate Gourmet Truffles
- Luxurious Gourmet Truffles are a joy to buy, give and of course to consume. Understanding how to buy these Chocolates online can save you time and money. From a low end box of Herseys all the way up to the Exotic confections such as the Chocopologie that can cost over two thousand dollars a pound. [...]...
- Interesting Points About Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate has forever been a grand gift to give somebody. The chocolate industry is a multi-billion dollar business. There are so many different types of chocolate and so many reasons to offer someone a chocolate gift that it is a business that just keeps getting larger every year. There are quite a few different types [...]...
- How To Make Chocolate Truffles
- The chocolate truffles you find in supermarkets and stores are mostly manufactured in factories and aren’t all that good. Most of them are either too sweet or not rich enough. There are even some store-bought cheap chocolates that contain so little cocoa, you are practically eating something high-calorie with zero of the health benefits of [...]...
- Recipe For Deliciious Homemade Candy; Mint Chocolate Truffles
- Author: Linda Wilson Making candy can be a really fun activity. And the results are so worth the effort. Whether for a special occasion or just for the pleasure of it, turning out your own candy is very rewarding. Here is a great recipe for chocolate candy–my favorite! These delicious Mint Chocolate Truffles are from a [...]...
- Artisan Chocolate Truffles and the Spices That Love Them, Part Xi – Nutmeg
- Nothing in the world tastes like, or smells like nutmeg. There is no substitute for it’s unusual, enticing aroma. Nutmeg is one of the earth’s true culinary treasures, and although we take it for granted these days, that you can just go buy some at the grocery store, for over a thousand years, it was [...]...
- Artisan Chocolate Truffles and the Spices That Love Them, Part XII – Piper Nigrum
- Piper Nigrum is the botanical name for Black pepper. It comes from a flowering vine that is originally indigenous to Southern India. This spice has been utilized by humans for thousands of years, since long before recorded history, and so the origins of it’s use have been lost to the mists of time. Today, the [...]...
- Chocolate Gifts Come in an Assortment of Styles
- Chocolate has always been a great gift to give someone. The chocolate manufacturing is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are so many different types of chocolate and so many reasons to give someone a chocolate gift that it is a industry that just keeps getting bigger every year. There are quite a few different types [...]...
- Learn About the Excitement Surrounding Chocolate Gifts
- Chocolate has always been a great gift to give someone. The chocolate industry is a multi-billion dollar business. There are so many unusual types of chocolate and so many reasons to give someone a chocolate gift that it is a business that just keeps getting bigger every year. There are quite a few different types [...]...
