Truffle Butter

Listen to the interview.

Is there any other “fungus” that is more revered than the black truffle? Or more misunderstood? With its heady scent and sublime flavor, it’s no wonder truffles are called “black diamonds”. The history, lore and hunt of the humble truffle  is truly amazing. It was fascinating to speak with Patricia Wells about them. Her latest book explores  every aspect of the truffle and offers recipes from   Truffle Risotto with Parmesan Broth to Pecorino-Romano and Truffle Pizza.

A parasite that grows on the roots of trees, the homely truffle looks a like shriveled  black nugget about the size of a walnut. There are more than 100 truffle varieties, but only a handful are used for cooking. Found largely in France, with smaller harvests in Italy and Spain, truffles are harvested November to March, with peak flavor- and  best price- in January.

If you can’t make your way to a truffle hunt anytime soon, here are some online resources:

D’Artagnan

Sabatino Tartufi

Dean and DeLuca

Patricia suggests placing a cleaned fresh truffle in a glass jar with several eggs, still in their shells. Secure it tightly. The truffle flavor will infuse right in to the egg, for truly amazing omelets, crepes or pasta. Another easy way to indulge is a smear of truffle butter on a piece of really good bread. Enjoy Patricia’s recipe for truffle butter from her book, Simply Truffles.

“One needs only a few tablespoons of minced fresh truffles to create an all-purpose, fragrant butter, perfect for spreading on toast, melting into fresh pasta, or folding into a risotto. You can use the butter freshly made, or you can freeze it and use it throughout the year for added truffle pleasure.”