Truffles for Dessert

[Holly Moore]

At a wine dinner this evening at Fork in Philadelphia the dessert course was truffles. Three truffles and a strawberry.

I picked up one and took a bite. Then I looked around the table. It was like the Seinfeld show where George unwrapped a Snickers bar, or some other Mars product, and proceeded to eat it with a knife and fork. All my table companions were consuming their truffles with knife and fork. I continued hand to mouth.

This was not covered in my upbringing. I have fried chicken down pat. But what is the proper way to consume a dessert plate of truffles?

[goldie]

My mother always said to eat it with your hands if it makes more sense that way (unless you are at a very important dinner and the host is using a fork for the item in question). Truffles are not generally messy and I'd think they'd be much harder to eat neatly with a fork than out of hand. IMHO, you were correct. I hope they were really good.

[*Deborah*]

Chocolates are not meant to be eaten with a fork. Candy, in general, is finger food. Good lord.

[Mike Hunt]

Chocolates are not meant to be eaten with a fork. Candy, in general, is finger food. Good lord.

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This raises another question, can chocolate presented in this fashion actually be regarded as dessert ?

[PatyGirl]

This raises another question, can chocolate presented in this fashion actually be regarded as dessert ?

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Good point! Shouldn't it be served with/after coffee as a petit four?

(By the way, I also think they should be eaten with your hands..!)

[Mike Hunt]

This raises another question, can chocolate presented in this fashion actually be regarded as dessert ?

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Good point! Shouldn't it be served with/after coffee as a petit four?

(By the way, I also think they should be eaten with your hands..!)

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Completely agree.

I consume chocolate as same as the next person, however, I never have it as

dessert and tend to think of it as a bit of cop out from chefs with no talent.

[Chris Amirault]

Holly, you're so gauche. Use the cookie fork, man.

[Mayhaw Man]

I usually just hold them tightly in my palm until they melt and them just lick my hand until it's clean.

[MarketStEl]

At a wine dinner this evening at Fork in Philadelphia the dessert course was truffles.  Three truffles and a strawberry.

I picked up one and took a bite.  Then I looked around the table.  It was like the Seinfeld show where George unwrapped a Snickers bar, or some other Mars product, and proceeded to eat it with a knife and fork.  All my table companions were consuming their truffles with knife and fork.  I continued hand to mouth.

This was not covered in my upbringing.  I have fried chicken down pat.  But what is the proper way to consume a dessert plate of truffles?

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This actually ventures into territory covered by Miss Manners herself in one of her columns in the 1980s, reprinted in her first collection, "Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior."

The exchange went more or less like this:

Dear Miss Manners:

What is the proper way to eat a potato chip?

Gentle Reader:

With a knife and fork. A fruit knife and an oyster fork, to be specific. Good Lord, Miss Manners understands the need to educate people in the finer points of etiquette, but anyone who doesn't have the common sense to grab a handful of potato chips and stuff them in their mouths is beyond her help.

Edited to add: Then again, Holly, you did say you were eating at Fork, right? Maybe your fellow diners thought that was an instruction on how to eat everything the place serves?

Edited May 4, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)