Truffle Oil

[jg488]

A friend of mine just received a bottle of white truffle-infused oil as a gift.  How can she use it in the kitchen?  She's a quasi-vegetarian: fish and seafood is ok, but no chicken, pork, or beef.  Any ideas out there?

Josh

[stefanyb]

Josh, With truffle oil, its been my experience, you either love it or hate it.  I adore it and use it in the following recipes:

Mushroom risotto

Any pasta with vegetables dish

Eggs especially those dishes prepared with mushrooms

I'm sure there are others but thats the list that comes to mind.

[jg488]

thanks for the reply, stefanyb.  but could you tell me more about exactly how you'd use the truffle oil in preparing those dishes?

[stefanyb]

Truffle oil is used sparingly as a last minute addition to a dish.  I don't think one would ever actually cook with it.  Its more of an enrichment at the end right before serving.  I am, of course,  open to any correction of the facts.

PS its a great gift to get and costs a small fortune

[Niall]

The most common thing I do with truffle oil is mash potatoes.. very boring I know, but it just works so well..

[Jinmyo]

Last minute use is essential otherwise the flavour evaporates with the steam.

I use it (or porcini oil) on crappy button mushrooms, to finish wild mushroom soups and risottos, on crostini and flatbreads, mashers like Niall, egg dishes.

And sometimes on top of savoury Pies, especially those with mushrooms but also steak and kidney.

edit full disclosure: Bold on Pies.

[Sandra Levine]

A good pasta preparation:  Saute thinly sliced fresh shitake mushroms in butter, with a little finely chopped onion.  Pour over spaghetti, sprinkle with a few drops of truffle oil and toss.

Poor man's pasta with truffles.  Or, you can saute the mushrooms in truffle butter for the same effect.

[tommy]

i've found i mostly use truffle oil in the garbage.  you see, i use it so seldom and sparingly because it's so damned expensive, that it ends up going bad on me.  stupid, i know.

[Marlene]

I always thought truffles were mushrooms.

[Jinmyo]

They are. Truffle oil is oil enfused by truffles. There's also truffle flour.

[Vanessa]

Except I read recently that it's a complete swizz - and the so called truffle flavouring in the oil is chemically produced - can't remember the details. If I can find where I read it - an Italian e-gullet equivalent I think - I'll post it.

[Marlene]

Except I read recently that it's a complete swizz - and the so called truffle flavouring in the oil is chemically produced - can't remember the details.  If I can find where I read it - an Italian e-gullet equivalent I think - I'll post it.

Thanks. because if it's infused with mushrooms, I can't eat it. And Delmonico's in Las Vegas has these truffle oil chips with parmesan on their menu that look like they might be great, but I thought I should check first.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, truffles are technically fungus, not a mushroom. Truffles grow underground. Mushrooms are type of fungus and grow on top of dead items like logs and soil with lots of decomposing twigs, leaves, etc.

The fungi that produce truffles are obligate symbionts (required partnership) of certain trees. The species are native to Europe. In Italy and France landowners buy inoculated seedlings, oak and Corylus (hazelnut) from nurseries.

See http://www.epicurean.com/articles/ie6.html

Mushrooms make you sick? Thats an interesting allergy.

[Marlene]

Well, truffles are  technically fungus, not a mushroom.

Mushrooms make you sick? Thats an interesting allergy.

Mushrooms can make me dead actually. It can make for interesting ordering in a restaurant. And buffets are generally avoided.

[Jinmyo]

Then please definitely stay away from truffle oil, Marlene.

[Suzanne F]

Fascinating, Marlene. What is it in mushrooms that makes you ill? Is it in all fungi? Gee, I feel for you.

[Jinmyo]

Except I read recently that it's a complete swizz - and the so called truffle flavouring in the oil is chemically produced - can't remember the details.  If I can find where I read it - an Italian e-gullet equivalent I think - I'll post it.

Depends on what you buy. Mine has bits of truffle crumbs floating around in it. You get what you pay for.

[Lyle]

As for those truffle chips at Delmonico's, that's a pity because they are delicious.

As for the rest of the food at Delmonico's, it's a pity and a pretty penny as well.

[Marlene]

Fascinating, Marlene.  What is it in mushrooms that makes you ill?  Is it in all fungi?  Gee, I feel for you.

I'm not sure.. Too be honest I stay away from fungi just in case. I have the same reaction to penicillian, but that is mold based, so my doctor can't really give me a reason other than don't eat them!

[Suzanne F]

AHA! Mold -- sure! Definitely makes sense with mushrooms, especially wild ones. Oh, no, now I really feel bad for you! No Roquefort, or gorgonzola, or cabrales, or huitlacoche, or, or, or.

[SobaAddict70]

Ditto for quorn.

SA

[rslux]

Except I read recently that it's a complete swizz - and the so called truffle flavouring in the oil is chemically produced - can't remember the details.  If I can find where I read it - an Italian e-gullet equivalent I think - I'll post it.

Please do so. I bought some as a gift for someone recently & would hate to think I unwittingly gave him crap. :(

[cakewalk]

So now that we know what truffle oil is (thank you), um, what do we use it for?

[Marlene]

AHA!  Mold -- sure!  Definitely makes sense with mushrooms, especially wild ones.  Oh, no, now I really feel bad for you!  No Roquefort, or gorgonzola, or cabrales, or huitlacoche, or, or, or. 

I know, and I LOVE roquefort.

[Vanessa]

Found it: click. But you have to be able to read Italian (or muddle along, as I do) to get the hang of it. This is a pretty light-hearted thread which forms part of a long-running joke on the site - Coquinaria - a favourite of mine, but as different as you could get from e-gullet. The truffle oil bit comes somewhere in the middle and several people affirm that they have been reliably informed that truffle oil is made with a chemical (I'm not completely sure it is the chemical mentioned in the thread). One contributor then explains that it is impossible to make proper truffle oil by macerating truffles in good quality olive oil because the aroma of the truffles is simply too volatile.

I have searched on Google for something more specific, with no luck. But two things gleaned from there make me a little suspicious: 1. They have identified the chemical compound which produces the truffle aroma. 2. There is a lot of truffle business connected with China.

If I find anything more, I will post.

v