Let's talk about Truffle Oil

[Jenise]

I have come to love the show Chopped. Bob and I get a kick out of watching it, snarking, guessing who will win, etc. And over the years I've come to understand that there are one or two nearly instant-fails with the judges. Chief among them: truffle oil. So I was surprised to watch a recent episode and see someone douse an already finished dish with truffle oil--after all these years, and this guy didn't know better? A clumsy, clueless move.

That said, I love the stuff. And I don't mean the artificially flavored kind--that right there is good reason for the Chopped judges to kill off a contestant--but the really good kind from Italy that gets its flavor from a piece of truffle in the bottle. THAT truffle oil. I adore it. Not having any fresh truffles on hand, like who does, I'm fond of a few drops on scrambled eggs. And two weeks ago when I on a whim decided to attend an event for which I needed to bring a food item, I made a parmesan-rich macaroni and cheese to which I added some fresh tomato just lightly cooked in butter and a bit of truffle oil to the fresh bread crumb crust. Killer!

Yet I hear it poohpoohed all the time as a fad whose time came and went, and maybe that's true. American restaurants probably used a lot of it for awhile and they no longer do once home cooks all bought a bottle and it was no longer new or exclusive. But meanwhile, in Italy, nothing's changed. It's always been around and always will be, because it's GOOD. They don't have to get over it.

And neither do I.

I have recently gone absolutely nuts about truffled mac and cheese. First saw it in Whole Foods and that was good. But I've made my own very much they way you did and it's fabulous.

Not a fan.

I use truffle salt, not oil. Sparingly, because it has been over-played.

Love Truffle oil, a wonderful seasoning if used thoughtfully. As you say, the artificially flavoured oil is awful, had some recently when dining out, on a pizza, and they had overdone it as well, gack.
A little on eggs, a background subtle hint in salad dressing, lots of places it can go, and grownup popcorn ( toss hot popped corn with butter, Parmesan, truffle oil and salt to taste mmmmm.)

[Jenise]

Jeff's got a good point: you can overdo it. But used judiciously it can be a wonderful enhancement. In that mac n' cheese I made, it didn't show up as truffles so much as it made the parmesan element richer and funkier.

And truffle salt's great, too!

I think everyone gets sick of an ingredient like this that gets way overused as part of a fad. In most of these cases, though, there's nothing wrong with the ingredient itself, just the way it's overused. I very much like truffle oil, but we've never used it often. Ken's mention of truffled mac and cheese reminded me that I've never tried that and that it does sound good. (And yeah, I'd forgo the blue box for this particular application.)

[Jenise]

In most of these cases, though, there's nothing wrong with the ingredient itself, just the way it's overused.

EXACTLY. And then we blame the source, not ourselves for our shallow thinking.

Yes, in Mac and Cheese, it's great.

Problem with truffle oil is that it is so often over used.

A few drops that impart a je ne sais quoi to a dish that you can't quite identify (much like an anchovy does, injecting a umami element without making itself too prominent) and I'm on side. More than that, no.

Had a crispy sweetbread entree for lunch last week (at a restaurant you are very familiar with) and it was dosed with TO. I concluded it would have been just as good without any added (but might possibly have been best with about 1/4 of what found its way in there).

[Jenise]

Problem with truffle oil is that it is so often over used.

A few drops that impart a je ne sais quoi to a dish that you can't quite identify (much like an anchovy does, injecting a umami element without making itself too prominent) and I'm on side. More than that, no.

Had a crispy sweetbread entree for lunch last week (at a restaurant you are very familiar with) and it was dosed with TO. I concluded it would have been just as good without any added (but might possibly have been best with about 1/4 of what found its way in there).

I can agree with that. It usually helps if there's something else in the dish that truffles would be naturally sympatico with--eggs and cheese are two. I also love a few drops on a crab ramen soup I make in season. Can't imagine putting it on sweetbreads, I have to say.

I keep this in the freezer, though it doesn't get much use. However once and a while, it seems the appropriate addition.

http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=truffle-butter-oil&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=2

[Jenise]

I keep this in the freezer, though it doesn't get much use. However once and a while, it seems the appropriate addition.

http://www.dartagnan.com/black-truffle-butter/product/PMTBB003-1.html?cgid=truffle-butter-oil&dwvar_PMTBB003-1_freshFrozenWeight=fresh-PMTBB016#start=2

I've bought that too, Greg. Have you tried it on baked potatoes? It may be the only idea you ever need.