Cooking with Truffles
Have you ever wanted to wow your family or dinner guests by incorporating truffles into your home cooking?
Christophe Gregoire is one of the Canberra Region’s foremost experts on French cuisine and cooking with truffles. He has over 20 years of restaurant ownership experience in the region, and a passion for showcasing the magnificence of fresh local black truffles.
He has put together a guide on cooking with truffles so you can make the most of this distinctive, earthy and profound ingredient.
Cooking with Truffles
Infusing Aroma: Truffles boast a potent aroma that can transform any dish. Infuse oils, butter, or salt with their essence by simply placing truffles in a sealed container with uncooked pasta, rice, or eggs. Let them meld for a few days and imagine the subtle yet tantalising aroma permeating your breakfast scrambled eggs, effortlessly elevating them to gourmet status.
Embrace Simplicity: Sometimes, less is more when it comes to savouring the essence of truffles. Craft a decadent truffle risotto with arborio rice, chicken stock, Parmesan cheese, and freshly shaved truffles. Or toss cooked pasta with truffle-infused olive oil or truffle butter, Parmesan cheese, and freshly grated truffles for a simple yet sumptuous feast.
Elevate your savoury dishes: enrich creamy dishes such as mashed potatoes or soups and elevate the flavours of pumpkin and cauliflower with their natural earthiness. Gently tuck fresh truffle shavings under the chicken skin before roasting for an infusion of exquisite flavour. Truffles also lend a delightful touch to salad dressings. Keep in mind, truffles are potent, so a little will suffice to elevate your dish without overpowering it.
Versatile Truffle Butter: Truffle butter beautifully encapsulates its essence and is wonderfully versatile. Soften high-quality butter, grate or shave fresh truffles into it, using approximately 10% of the weight of the butter, use a fork or whisk to incorporate the grated truffle and refrigerate until firm. Spread this luscious truffle butter on freshly baked bread, melt it over steaks or seafood, or use it to add an extra layer of flavour to sauces and dressings.
Elevate your cheese board with this decadent twist: Take a wheel of Camembert or Brie and slice it horizontally. Generously shave fresh truffle onto one half, then sandwich it with the other. Wrap in plastic wrap or use the original cheese wrapper. Let this exquisite fusion rest in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Prior to serving, allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours to develop its creamy texture and taste. Pair this indulgence with crusty bread and a fine Pinot Noir.
Dabble in Desserts: While truffles are more commonly associated with savoury dishes, they can also be used to add a unique twist to desserts. Try shaving truffles over rich chocolate desserts like a flourless chocolate cake or chocolate mousse. Make truffled Chantilly cream, truffle-flavoured ice cream or custards. Indulge in the ultimate luxury with truffled crème brûlée, my favourite!
Bastille Day Truffles Cooking Class and Lunch, 14 July
Christophe combines his passions to create an extraordinary celebration: truffles, teaching cooking and Bastille Day.
The morning kicks off with an immersive session on truffles, exploring their culinary uses and crafting a delightful truffle dessert together: meringue floating island and truffle custard. Following the cooking class, indulge in a sumptuous truffle-infused lunch consisting of chicken vol-au-vent, mesclun salad truffle vinaigrette, and for dessert the freshly made meringue floating island and truffle custard, complete with beverages.
And don’t miss Chef Christophe’s rendition of the French national anthem, a cherished tradition on Bastille Day!
$150 per person
Find out more and book your place
