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Truffle Oil


jg488

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

I like to add a little to a mushroom ragout when I serve it over pasta, the mushrooms being the "main course." And to mushroom risotto, if it doesn't already have porcini in it (they don't need the help). Basically, I like to add it when I want to emphasis mushroom flavors.

I am NOT a fan of adding it indiscriminately to things like mashed potatoes, although you still see that a lot. I believe it should complement the flavors already there, not add something unexpected and unnecessary.

BTW: I've got Italian white truffle oil which is great, and French black truffle oil from Oliviers that is just about tasteless. For black t.o., I like the one D'Artagnan puts out. Not always 100% consistent in strength, but generally very good.

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Thanks Suzanne. Just in time for my risotto experiments!

Do you actually cook with the truffle oil, or just pour it on after cooking, like sesame oil? (I love the smell of sesame oil, and I used to fry stuff in it and it seemed to die. And then I read somewhere that it should just be drizzled onto food after it is cooked and boy, did that make a difference. There's nothing quite like sesame oil. Except truffle oil, maybe?)

Thanks again.

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We had a wonderful amuse of cream cheese flavored with truffle oil at Gordon Ramsay in London. I tried to reproduce this and the result was disappointing because, I think, the truffle oil wasn’t very good.

Which raises the question, does anyone have a favorite brand?

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Actually, I prefer porcini oil.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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  • 5 weeks later...

A colleague and I have to do a cooking demo using truffle oil.

Does anyone have simple recipes for an appetizer, a side or even a dessert?

We tried it with figs and the unanimous conclusion was: yuck! (And that was generous.)

As ever, your suggestions, tips, recommendations and more are warmly welcomed.

Thank you.

NYC

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How about mashed potatoes with truffle oil ?

I had a delicious appetizer at a local restaurant: they took fresh pasta, cooked it and wrapped it around ricotta whipped with chives and parsley, which they then served with balsamic vinegar, truffle oil and cherry tomatoes. Or something like that, anyway.

- S

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One really easy thing is tiny puff pastry tarts (hors d'ouvre size) (yeah I know the spelling's wrong) filled with buttery leeks and curls of prosciutto, drizzled with truffle oil.

Or anything with mushrooms.

How sad; a house full of condiments and no food.

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  • 2 months later...

Rat, why not? Does it make your cute little nosey twitch too much? Or bleach the pink out of your adorable eyes? :wub:

Trust me, untill you've had to mix 4+ bottles of black truffle oil into a vat of mushroom risotto, you're an amateur at disliking the stuff. :biggrin::wink:

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and an amateur i shall remain then cause i don't go near the stuff. i don't recall where i got that info, but perhaps could have been something ed behr wrote a while back in "art of eating"

suzanne, flattery will get you nowhere.....well, errrrrrrrrr......hehe. nevermind :blush:

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me no likey truffle oil.

not coincidentally, truffles and truffle oil have nothing to do with eachother.

Yeah, I much prefer fresh truffle shavings. Most truffle oils taste really artificial.

Jason Perlow, Co-Founder eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters

Foodies who Review South Florida (Facebook) | offthebroiler.com - Food Blog (archived) | View my food photos on Instagram

Twittter: @jperlow | Mastodon @jperlow@journa.host

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I've been using a lot of truffle oil recently. I make a roasted chestnut soup, (which is just chopped onions, leeks and roasted chestnut simmered with chicken stock, then pureed) with fried Jerusalem artichokes drizzled with truffle oil. And, a Gnocchi with cream sauce, with shaved pecorino cheese and truffle oil. I served the Gnocchi at a office party recently. Must thank everyone on egullet for giving me all the great tips for re-heating the sauce.

Edited by Bond Girl (log)

Ya-Roo Yang aka "Bond Girl"

The Adventures of Bond Girl

I don't ask for much, but whatever you do give me, make it of the highest quality.

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Suzanne,

It's definitely for the occasional home cook (like me). The current bottle was given to me by an ex-boyfriend who does the ordering for a large restaurant. I once asked him about getting me some real truffles, but was told that cost for a small piece is about $80-$100 (way too much for my budget) and that's with a bumper crop going on.

Ya-Roo Yang aka "Bond Girl"

The Adventures of Bond Girl

I don't ask for much, but whatever you do give me, make it of the highest quality.

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Sorry, BG -- I was actually referring to an in-joke from the recent past, which I think started with "Rice is for tourists." Maybe it's one of those "you had to be there" things. No slur intended. Hey, I can't afford the real thing, either. Although D'Artagnan is running a December special of one ounce each Black and White Truffles for $100. :rolleyes:

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Admittedly, some truffle oil is cr@p. You get what you pay for. And, admittedly, it can be ubiqitous.

But used well, it is delicious.

Um. I splash a bit on cheese and porcini pizza.

And on poached eggs.

And sometimes use a bit when making fresh mayopnaisse.

But then I like porcini oil too.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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Before Tocqueville was a restaurant it was a small cafe with a great takeout

section.{I really miss it} anyway they used to serve truffled egg salad, that I

believe was made with truffle oil , I never saw evidence of a truffle. It was

really good

l

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i agree with that. i'd liken it to a petrolly sorta chemical smell. fake, not natural.

strictly on a comparison issue, a fresh sliced white truffle and white truffle oil have nothing in common for me. if you're talking about the subjective quality of liking or disliking white truffle oil, that's different.

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