Truffles

I made pasta with truffles for dinner this evening. I had a choice of truffles, Giuliano Tartufi, Pietralunga, IT, and Les Truffes Noires de Perigord. I chose the Italian truffles because they had a much more pronounced flavor and aroma, the French more subdued and not nearly so intense. Price was about 20 euros for the Italian and 30 euros for the French, in both cases for about 25 grams. I have always thought French truffles, and especially Perigord truffles were the very best. Am I missing something?

[Robin Garr]

Am I missing something?

Were they canned or otherwise preserved, Alan? I'm assuming that you brought them back from Europe a while back, so in other words they're not fresh. That might make a difference, if I'm ASS-uming correctly.

Alan,

Italian whites are usually the most expensive. A market in Salt Lake brings in both; its been a while but I think the whites were routinely 30-40% higher.

The whites are also not usually cooked, other than the heat from the dish they may be shaved onto. Blacks can also be shaved on at the last second in many applications, but can also be used as an ingredient any time in a cooking process. I have no idea why the whites are not usually cooked.

How did you use them with the pasta, and did you like it?

Jim - I made a simple egg and cream sauce with the truffle chopped up in it. I'm not much of a cook and I wanted the truffles to dominate the aroma and flavor, so I didn't add a lot of other ingredients for fear of ruining a dish I already knew I liked.

Robin - In both cases the truffles were in a small glass jar with a little fluid included. The taste and aroma does not seem to have changed from the time I first time I tasted them in Italy/France.

I think generally the pricing hierarchy is white Alba truffles > black Perigord (black inside and out) > summer/Burgundy truffles (black outside, lighter inside). But season for all has been over at least 4 months, so pretty far past usual use by recs.

IIRC, the scent of white truffles is easily dissipated by heat so they are usually just shaved raw over hot pasta or hot eggs. Black truffles are a little less citrus-floral fragrance but can be cooked and will hold their flavor.

The other kinds -- summer, Burgundy -- are only worth eating if the price is cheap. They really don't taste much like black or white truffles.

I've ruined fresh truffles by slicing them into hot soup. The aroma can just GO like that. Got to watch the temperature.

And the stuff in cans and jars, generally is lacking in flavor compared to fresh. You get a hint, just like you do from truffle oil, bit it's subtle.