What can I do with truffles and truffle oil?

I've been given a small bottle of truffle oil and three black truffles. Can you suggest an interesting starter to make using these ingredients?

Lucky you! Truffles are one of the rarest and most expensive foods in the world, mainly because of where they grow and how they're found (with sniffer pigs and dogs). They're best used in pasta and risotto dishes, both of which can be served as a starter, like the Italians do. Otherwise, here are some alternative truffle starters:

  • Prepare a salad with some really fancy leaves (rocket, mizuno and some of the other more unusual ones) and make a salad dressing by sauteing some wild mushrooms along with the thinly sliced truffles, lemon juice and truffle oil; top the salad off with boiled and halved quails eggs.
  • How about truffled carpaccio: very thinly sliced raw fillet of beef scattered with very thinly sliced celery and truffles and a shaving of parmesan? Drizzle with a bit of the truffle oil.
  • Queen scallops, lightly fried, grilled or poached, with chopped truffle, julienne of carrot and leek with a light vinaigrette made from the oil around the edge of the plate.
  • Truffles are also used a lot to make sauces, usually cream sauces, which would go nicely with a piece of fish, grilled or poached, say turbot (which is wonderful but expensive) or sea bass. If used as a starter, the pieces don't have to be too large.

I know these ideas may sound a little over the top, but truffles are just that kind of ingredient. If it were me, I'd stick to a simple pasta starter, made with fresh tagliatelle tossed in a light cream sauce:

  • Sweat a shallot until soft, add some wild mushrooms and saute.
  • Add the chopped truffles and deglaze with a little white wine or vermouth.
  • Pour in double cream and reduce until slightly thickened, season with lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss in the pasta.
  • Serve drizzled with more truffle oil, parmesan shavings, a simple green salad and fresh Italian bread.

    Hope some of these ideas help

    Terry

    Over the page: More truffle ideas

    Feedback: From Craig Glenday, Food Producer, iVillage

    Last October, I went truffle hunting in Piedmont, northern Italy, and I thought that the nicest way to enjoy white truffles after a day in the forest is to just shave them over very plain but good quality spaghetti (just toss the cooked pasta in butter and shave on the truffle...gorgeous). I'm pretty sure you could do the same with the black varieties.

    The other great starter is a fonduta – truffles shaved into melted fontina cheese (again, meant for white but would work well with black) and eaten with vegetable sticks.

    For an informal starter, what about a truffled camembert? Slice a ripe camembert in half horizontally, lay thinly sliced truffle on the lower piece and sandwich with the top. Return the cheese to its wooden box and keep in the fridge for a day or two (in a sealed plastic bag to prevent the smell infecting other foods). Then bake the cheese in its box and serve with ciabatta or French baguette (broken off by hand, of course).

    Another informal starter is truffenade on toast – like a tapenade, but using black truffle (a paste of chopped truffles, olives and mushrooms).

    As for the oil, I like to make truffled mash – add the oil with a tiny bit of butter when you mash the spuds.

    Finally, here's a 'posh' truffle starter: Shellfish and Truffle Profiteroles. I've had this recipe kicking around my kitchen for ages, and if you've got an important dinner party, or just fancy something special, give it a go.

    For the filling:
    2 egg yolks
    225ml olive oil
    2 tbsp white truffle oil
    salt and freshly ground black pepper
    500g prepared shellfish, such as prawns, scallops or lobsters (roughly chopped)
    30g chopped red onion
    2 tsp tarragon, chopped
    2 tsp chives, chopped

    1. Combine egg yolks and lemon juice in a food processor. While the motor is running, add olive oil and truffle oil in a slow but steady stream until emulsified (making a mayonnaise, basically). Season to taste.

    2. Transfer mayo to a bowl and add shellfish meat along with chopped onion, tarragon and chives. Season with salt and white pepper, if necessary.

    For the profiteroles:
    100g unsalted butter
    225ml milk
    generous pinch of salt
    a few cracks of black pepper
    100g flour
    ½ tsp baking powder
    5 eggs
    1 handful mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon and basil
    zest of 1 lemon

    3. Preheat oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Bring butter and milk in a saucepan to the boil then stir in salt and pepper. Mix flour and baking powder together and add to milk mixture, whisking/beating to form a dough.

    4. One at a time, beat eggs to the dough (this is best done with an electric mixer). Make sure each egg is completely incorporated into the dough before adding the next one. After each egg is added, toss in a little of the herbs and lemon zest and stir until incorporated. Repeat until all herbs and zest are incorporated.

    5. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag with no tip. Line a baking sheet with parchment and pipe out 16 golf ball-sized dough balls. Bake for 10 minutes (until puffed up) and then reduce temperature to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 and bake until golden brown (about 25 minutes - it should feel light and dry). Cool on a rack.

    6. Using a spoon, slice off the very top of the profiteroles and fill with the shellfish and truffle oil filling. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with a little more truffle oil.