THE A LIST: Stuff I Like to Share: Truffle Salt

Truffle Salt

While I was living in Italy truffle season was greeted with festivals and dinner all over northern Italy. The white truffle (not so common) and the black truffle served fresh are really amazing. I went to one memorable dinner were every item served, even desert, was "truffled". I have also been several village festivals held in October and or November, the peak of the season, where the whole village turns out for the celebration. There are contests for the largest found, the best dish, etc. You can eat until you can eat no more. I have even had truffle ice cream! This truffle salt made from ground sea salts and black truffles is fantastic. The combination of truffle and sea salt is irresistible in the kitchen. Try over cooked egg dishes, tossed in pasta, on pâté or foie gras, or sprinkled on buttered popcorn and served with a glass of spumante!

If you cant find it at your local gourmet shop, here are two on-line sources:

http://www.salttraders.com/Detail.bok?no=76

http://www.amazon.com/Casina-Rossa-Truffle-Nicola-Laurentiis/dp/B000E5SGI4


Suggested Uses

Eggs
Sprinkle truffle salt in your egg-based dishes—scrambled eggs, baked eggs, omelettes. I love to take grilled asparagus, soft scrambled eggs on toasted bread with a little olive oil and truffle salt.

Risotto
Truffle salt adds a subtle richness to creamy risottos-try mushroom and truffle salt. I don't like it on fish based risotto, but on a more winter combo - its dreamy. comfort food!

Pizza

Sprinkle truffle salt on a white pie - no red sauce. Cheese and some garlic and pepper on the crust. Sprinkle when it comes out of the oven and is resting before slicing.

Potatoes
Use truffle salt in place of regular salt on mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or French fries

Bruschetta
Make bruschetta with extra virgin olive oil or butter, sprinkle with truffle salt - I like to add cooked white beans and only use a dash of tomato for this one

Salad Dressings
Mix with olive oil before making vinaigrette to make a “truffled salad dressing”

Baked Pasta
Stir a teaspoon into a cup of ricotta cheese and use the truffled cheese for baked pasta dishes-trust me- this will be the best mac and cheese you have had.

Accent Foie Gras
Sprinkle over foie gras or pate - need I saw more. Oink

Cream Sauce
Truffle your cream sauces with this easy condiment. Double oink

Truffle Salt on Pasta
Toss pasta with Truffle & Salt and truffle oil for a dish with simple elegance

Truffled Marinades
Use in marinades to add deep truffle flavor to cooked meats

Popcorn with Truffle Salt
Open a bottle of chilled champagne and pour into glasses, pop some popcorn, add butter and truffle salt and toast to this fun idea!

About Truffles

Gourmets have treasured "black pearls" for their aroma and taste for 3500 years. Truffles grow 3-12 inches deep around the roots of chestnut, oak, hazel, and beech trees. Truffles are just like their cousin the mushroom only growing under ground instead of above ground.

Humans use specially trained pigs or dogs to sniff out and dig up these aromatic and priceless delicacies. Though pigs are better at ferreting out the truffles, dogs are easier to control once they have retrieved the brown, black or white fungus.

Truffles are literally worth more than their weight in gold.

EAT WELL

Aaron