What an incredible season it's been! But as they say, all good things eventually wrap up! So, in this post, let's take a moment to stroll down that truffle memory lane and share some of the lessons we've picked up. Plus, we'll spice it up with a little Q&A session, featuring the questions that just wouldn't quit at our market stall. Now, when it comes to the world of truffles – from nurturing and hunting these earthy delights to jazzing up your recipes – there's a whole bunch of mysteries still hanging in the air. And you know what? That's the magic of truffles, that sense of wonder that keeps us hooked. So, without further ado, let's jump right in and uncover some of these truffle tales! 🍄
Unveiling Our Truffle and Tree Experiment: A Fragrant Odyssey
If you have been in our blog loop this year, you're well aware that this year, we embarked on a rather intriguing journey. We decided to get a bit scientific and separate out our truffle treasures, each snugly nestled beneath different arboreal companions. Imagine the scene: we separated out truffle from under our English Oak, French Oak, and Hazelnut trees.
Now, let me tell you, from the moment we lifted the lid off those three fancy cloches at the market, everyone could tell each was different. And this happen at each and every market day. Success? Well perhaps.
While this whole escapade was undeniably riveting, I have to admit, it opened a Pandora's box of curiosities including the obvious question of whether on not the trees were actually contributing to the unique personalities of their truffles. 🍄
So this is what we found:
There was always an aroma difference between the three cloches that everyone could detect
As mentioned in a previous post, there was a preference for the perfume of truffle under French Oak cloche.
Most people, when they returned kept asking for truffle that they had bought from the English Oak cloche, (go figure).
For our nose
French Oak truffle tended to have a more floral aroma sometimes tending to spicy or chemical.
English Oak did sometimes have a floral aroma but never as spicy or chemically as the French Oak. English Oak truffle tended to be a bit more subdued and more of the ‘forest floor’.
Hazelnut were a bit of an all-rounder, they never assaulted my nose but like all the other truffle types they enhanced the foods I used them with in a lovely way.
The only word of caution, if there was one, is that with French Oak truffle, that chemical/spice aroma is lovely, but you don’t need to use much of it. It can be over powering and even unpleasant if you use it in a dish like a toasty where the aromas are all locked in.
Some of the things we noticed as we hunted:
We could often tell the tree we were under depending on the aroma of the truffle we had found
Sometimes it was difficult to decide which tree the truffle came from because it was between trees
Truffle from under the same tree often had different but same aromas.
Now what does that tell you, its all a bit ambiguous right? Well I don’t know. I have a lot of theories for sure. I think I need to do a bit more thinking and perhaps a lot more research. Watch this space!
End of season 2023 truffle Q&A
Q. I had some truffle left over, what should I do?
A. Make some truffle butter. It’s the best way to keep your truffle experience going. You can keep it in the fridge or freeze* it. It makes meats, vegies and risottos pop with flavour.
Here is our recipe
Truffle Butter Recipe
Ingredients:
250g butter at room temperature (we don't use cultured butter because we want the truffle to shine)
1 egg yolk
Squeeze of lemon
10-20g truffle
Method:
Whip the butter in a mixer until it takes on a lighter colour
Mix in the egg yolk
Add the lemon
Add the truffle
Separate out your butter into small containers or roll it into a log which you can cut up as you need it.
*In the freezer it will last up to 6 months, some even say 12 months.
Q. How do you store truffles
A. This one always comes up.
We suggest storing your truffle in a jar, in the fridge. They should be wrapped in absorbent paper which is changed every day to ensure they are kept dry. Truffle expire water so will lose about 1% if their weight daily. If you have not already seen it we have a video that you might find useful below.
Q. How long do truffles last?
A. Two weeks if you store them well. Its best to use truffle when they are fresh, certainly they will not taste the same when they are two weeks out of the ground, particularly if you got them from a distributor who sold them to you when they were already 5 days old.
Q. What is the best way to enjoy truffle?
A. We think there are two must try ways to enjoy your truffles; in a toasty and in a Camembert cheese wheel.
Our truffle toasty video is below and the Camembert truffle wheel is just as simple. We have the recipe for the Camembert wheel below the video.
Truffle Camembert Wheel
Ingredients:
Camembert Wheel
10-20g truffle
Method:
Straight out of the fridge, cut your cold wheel through the centre.
Slice or grate your truffle onto the bottom half of the wheel. Replace the top of the wheel and wrap it in its paper. Back into the fridge for a week.
When you ready to serve it up let it come to room temperature or give it a quick zap in the microwave to make it a bit squishy. True gloriousness!
Q. Do you use pigs?
A. No. We have trained our Golden Retrieves, Frank and Luna to find our truffles. If you are interested in how we trained them we have a post on that here. If you would like to follow Frank and Luna on instagram they are @frank_and_luna_truffledogs
Q. I could not taste the truffle, I used them in a lasagna.
A. This is not what a truffle farmer wants to hear.
There are many reasons that this might be the case, from the truffle did not perform, all the way to, they were not paired well or that the heat of cooking depleted the volatiles before they got to the plate.
Truffle match well with certain ingredients which include eggs, potatoes, cauliflower, pastas, rices and cream. When used in complex dishes, apart from enhancing the over all flavour of the dish, that unique truffle character may be lost. The answer is to enjoy truffle simply and at the end of dish’s preparation where the only heat is from the warm ingredients themselves.
If you need recipe inspiration head over to Roberta Muir’s page. We partnered with Roberta this year to share a number of fail safe truffle recipes. Enjoy!
So that is it. The season is almost over. But stay tuned to the blog, we are not over yet. We are planing a bit of a bang before we are done for this year.
This weekend will be the last market day of the year so if you have not had your truffle fix this will be it.
If you are still here and you liked this blog, do give us a like, it helps others to find our goodness. Please do share it with your friends if you think they may like it.
Ciao for now.
Carmine