Whole Black Winter Truffle Extra

1 - How to store fresh truffles?

Like any vegetable or mushroom, a truffle has quite a short shelf life: it will only retain its flavour qualities for about ten days. It should not be kept any longer. If you want to preserve its fragrance, you must store it in one of the following ways :
- In the fridge: in an air-tight container (jar or Tupperware box), wrapped individually in a sheet of absorbent paper (which must be changed if it becomes too damp) or covered with rice. The rice then becomes perfumed and can be used to make a truffle risotto.
If you want to use the truffle in an egg dish, one tip is to place the truffle and eggs in an air-tight container one or two days prior to cooking the dish, so that the eggs take on the aroma of the truffle. In this way, the truffle fragrance in a dish such as a truffle omelette will be even stronger when you come to eat it
- In the freezer: in a jar or in a bag; this is the simplest solution for keeping it for longer periods (1 year maximum). But note that freezing alters both the texture (which becomes spongy) and the aroma.   This change means that it can then only be used in sauces, omelettes and prepared truffle dishes.
Another tip is to make truffle butter and to freeze it

2 - How to cook fresh or preserved truffles?

Contrary to conventional wisdom, truffles are easy to cook.

All you need to know is that both fresh and preserved truffles should not be over-cooked, otherwise they lose their fragrance and flavour qualities.

In some recipes, properly cooked preserved truffle or (home) frozen fresh truffle can produce results as good as with fresh truffle.

Among the simplest recipes are scrambled eggs with truffles, truffle risotto, coeur de brie with truffles or truffle toast, delicious as a festive aperitif.

For raw use, use fresh rather than preserved truffles and only add to the dish just before serving.

And always remember that, to add the right aroma to your dishes, you only need 10 g of truffle per person

3 - How to enjoy truffle the best way ?

Fresh truffles can be eaten raw in fine slivers cut on a mandolin, on fresh buttered bread, on a salad, etc. Cooked, fresh or preserved truffle goes very well with potatoes, eggs, rice and pasta, which all take on its fragrance.

But for the greatest enjoyment, it is a fact that some ingredients lift its powerful fragrance even further: garlic, chives, onion, leek, celery and cream. So, when you are preparing a truffle omelette, we strongly advise you to rub your frying pan with a clove of garlic which will bring out the flavour of the truffle in the mouth to an even greater extent.

Finally, sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on your truffle pasta; it will make it even better

Black truffles (tuber melanosporum), black truffle juice, salt