Truffles require a very specific climate to grow and we are lucky to live in a place that satisfies all their requirements. Damp Autumn weather, proper cold frosts, and sunny Winter days all contribute to the development of these mushroomy tubers.
Traditionally grown in the colder regions of France and Italy, Tuber melanosporum has formed a symbiotic mycorrhizal relationship with hazel, oak, beech, birch, pine and poplar trees. Truffle is, by nature, a team player: you wouldn’t take a bite out of a truffle on its own, it must be incorporated into a dish with other ingredients.
Last weekend Southern Harvest Association celebrated truffle season with an extra truffle-y farmers market, and a long lunch. Here are some of our favourite recipes and some tips on how to use them.
Truffles are best stored wrapped in a sheet of paper towel, in a sealed glass jar in the fridge. Extend the use of your truffle by also putting a couple of whole eggs in there. Eggshells are porous and will absorb aromas from whats around them, so by storing them in with the truffle the eggs will take on a subtle truffley flavour. You can also do this with rice (perfect for risotto!)
Truffled scrambled eggs are a delicious and easy way to appreciate truffles. Take your truffle infused eggs and beat with a fork and pinch of salt, then melt a good chunk of butter in a medium pan before adding the eggs. Stir slowly, pulling in the sections of cooked egg towards the middle. For silky smooth scrambled eggs you want the heat to be fairly low: the result should look like shiny folds of fabric rather than a crumbly mess. Turn the heat off just before the egg is ‘done’ as the residual heat will finish it off perfectly without overcooking. Serve on buttered toast with a little grated truffle on top.
Truffles love creamy textures and flavours: serve truffles on top of a sunchoke and cauliflower soup, or with a creamy pasta dish. A good brie or camembert is delicious with truffle. Simply cut in half crossways, shave a layer of truffle into the middle, and pop the lid back on and allow the truffle to infuse for a day or two. Yum!
Truffle aioli goes GREAT with some banging homemade chippies.
2 egg yolks, a splash of white wine vinegar, a teaspoon of mustard, a clove of raw garlic (if using roasted or confit garlic add two cloves), and a pinch of salt. Using a stick blender (or small food processor) add a thin drizzle of a neutral oil (sunflower etc) blitzing constantly. The oil will emulsify with the egg yolk creating a creamy consistency. Watch out for oil pooling and not mixing in: if this happens stop pouring and wait for all the oil to be incorporated before adding more. If your aioli is getting very thick and the oil is slow to combine, add a splash of room temperature water to help thin it out a little. You should be able to combine between 1 and 2 cups of oil.
If you split the aioli, don’t panic! It happens! Simply start again with half the amount of ingredients (1 egg yolk etc), and slowly pour the split batch into the new one (blitzing as you go) to emulsify it again.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and grate in some truffle to taste!
Truffles are also really delicious with dessert – I know it sounds strange but trust me! Add it to a warm custard, or have it on top of ice cream. The folks at Corang wines suggested infusing malteasers with truffle which sounds like a really fun experiment!
I made a truffled cheesecake for the farmers market using fresh hazelnuts from Hazelwood and the zest of a lemon I had saved when I just needed the juice for another dish – never waste some good lemon zest!
Ingredients
Base
100g hazelnuts, roasted, peeled and crushed
50g melted butter
1 tablespoon raw sugar
80g flour (I used Woodstock rye flour)
Filling
500g Ricotta (I made my own using milk that was at it’s best before date to prevent waste, but you can buy it instead)
125g Cream
6 eggs (stored in a jar with truffles to infuse)
250g raw caster sugar
Zest of one lemon
Truffle (as much as you can afford, haha!)
Method:
Combine the base ingredients and press into the lined base of your tin. Bake at 170C fan forced for around 15 minutes until golden brown, cool.
Whisk together the ricotta and cream, add the eggs and sugar gradually. Stir through zest and grated truffle to taste.
Pour into tin over the cooled base and bake at 180C for around 35 to 40 minutes until set in the middle and slightly browned.
