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Truffles |
24 Nov 2006 |
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To the uninitiated they might smell like musty old socks, but they can fetch thousands of pounds. Harvested from secret spots in the wood and hunted out by dogs, the fungi have become the stuff of legend. The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius ate them as an aphrodisiac; the medieval church thought them the work of the devil; and, they sustained the peasantry through the terrible years of the Spanish Civil War. The French favour the Perigord Black cooked in hearty game and egg dishes, while the Italians venerate the Piedmont White sliced in ribbons over pasta and risotto.
Martha finds out the secret to eating truffles from food writer Elisabeth Luard.
Truffles by Elisabeth Luard is published by Frances Lincoln, ISBN: 0-7112-2493-5
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Ouefs Brouilles Aux TrufflesÌý
Scrambled eggs with truffles |
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The Truffle is the hunter’s breakfast. Preserved truffles, self-evidently, won’t do for the overnight aromatization of the eggs. A passable imitation of the dish can be achieved with a handful of black olives, pitted, chopped and soaked for a few hours in a teaspoon of truffle oil but take care to warn your guests that they’re not about to experience the real thing.
Ingredients
Serves 4
8 perfectly fresh free-range eggs
1 fresh black truffle (about 50g-75g/2-3oz), cleaned
100g (4oz) unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
To finish
25g (1oz) unsalted cold butter, diced small
Method
Bury the truffle in the eggs overnight in a stoppered jar. Next day, brush any soil off the truffle – don’t rinse unless this is really necessary – and cut into fine matchstick slivers. Crack the eggs into a bowl and fork them briefly to blend – don’t beat. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter gently in a heavy pan. When it froths – don’t let it brown – add the matchsticked truffles and toss it over the heat for 1 minute, no more. Stir in the eggs and cook the mixture very gently, moving the base with a wooden spoon, till it forms creamy curds. Remove from the heat immediately and dot with little flakes of cold butter. Serve on warm plates, with fresh baguette or croutons fried in butter.
Reproduced by kind permission of Elisabeth Luard from her book Turffles, published by Frances Lincoln, ISBN: 978-0-7112-2493-3
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