Pommes Sarladaise, Sarladais-style potatoes cooked in duck or goose fat with black truffles is one of the most satisfying dishes I have ever had. This style of cooking potatoes in goose or duck fat is done all over the Perigord region in France and can be found on almost every menu in the town of Sarlat. Sarlat is a medieval town, known for it’s wonderful market. The Sarlat market is the place to go to get fresh truffles or foie gras, or any other form of charcuterie. It’s an amazing display of French luxury foods that every connoisseur should experience at least once!
The Market in Sarlat, The Perigord, France
Pommes Sarladaises with Perigord Black Truffles:
2 lbs. Russet Potatoes
1 large Minced Garlic Clove
5 to 6 Tablespoons Goose or Duck Fat
2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley
Salt and Pepper
1.5 oz. Fresh Black Perigord Truffles cut into matchsticks
Peel and blanch the whole potatoes for about 2 to 3 minutes maximum. Remove and pat dry. If the potatoes are small, cut them in 3/8 inch slices, if they are larger, cut them into 3/4 inch pieces. In a large pan, over high heat, add two tablespoons fat (we used goose fat, but duck is great too). Carefully add the potatoes to the very hot melted fat. Reduce the heat, and stir often (gently) until the potatoes start looking slightly golden or when the fat is gone. Add some salt and two more tablespoons fat and cook until golden light brown. Add the garlic, the chopped parsley and one (or two) tablespoon(s) fat. Stir for a minute, add the truffles, then stir for another minute or so, and add salt and pepper if needed. Voila! Serve with the Truffle Omelette, or with Duck Confit.
This recipe is quite simple, allowing the amazing flavor and fragrance of fresh Perigord black truffles to shine through. Black Truffle Omelette will always be one of my favorite ways to enjoy black truffles.
Black Truffle Omelette
Ingredients
• 6 Eggs
• 1 oz Perigord Black Truffle, sliced thin, saving a very small piece to grate for the finishing touch
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons Crème Fraiche
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 oz. Butter
Instructions: Beat the eggs and add the truffle slices. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours to allow the truffle flavor to permeate into the eggs. Add two to three tablespoons of crème fraiche to the eggs and truffle slices and stir carefully. Add salt and pepper to taste. In a large hot pan, melt one ounce of butter, add the eggs and truffle. As the eggs cook, push them towards the center of the pan with a wood spatula until they are cooked but still soft. You may serve them as is, or fold the omelette. Sprinkle the graded truffle on top and serve.
I’ve been attending the NASFT Fancy Food Show since I was a child. My great Uncle was in the candy business (we called it the candy show back then) and always got my family in for a day of total indulgence!
Now, we attend the Fancy Food Show with a different agenda. Though I always enjoy checking out all the new products in every category, my focus is finding new products to offer our clients.
Many of the wonderful products shown at the Fancy Food Show don’t really fit our product line of luxury and French foods; however, there were a few worth considering.
More Than Gourmet offers high quality stock and demi-glace that assists chefs and home cooks in making delicious sauces. Stocks are available in veal, venison, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, seafood, vegetable and mushroom. Though I frequently make my own stock (even those that take 48 hours), there are times when it would be so convenient to be able to start my sauce with a high quality, ready-made stock that only needs to be reconstituted. From there, I can add my shallots, garlic, wine, or whatever, to make the final sauce. We are waiting for samples, to make sure we like the taste and quality of the stocks and demi-glace, but we are hopeful about this product line!
One of the most innovative products we tasted at the show was a line of savory macaroons. The macaroons were in three flavors, goat cheese, black truffle, and porcini mushroom. These scrumpti0us morsels are not yet on the market, and we hope to be the first to carry them.
Some additional products we might introduce to our line include escargot, marron glace (candied chestnuts), truffle honey, and French chocolate. We’d love to hear from you if you have other ideas or requests!
Somewhat surprisingly, there were no producers of top quality caviar at the show. There were several “affordable” alternatives, but nothing that we thought measured up to the two brands we currently carry, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar and Black River Caviar.
There were more booths than I remember seeing in past years marketing fresh truffle mushrooms and truffle products. Since white truffles are no longer in season, and black truffles are at the height of their season, there were several companies with a basket full of beautiful, fragrant black truffles from the Perigord in France. There were also truffle producers from Oregon and other regions (Oregon truffles are not the same species as Perigord truffles). Though North Carolina has a growing number of farms cultivated the Perigord variety of black truffles, there were no producers at the show from this region.
There were only three or four producers featuring foie gras or foie gras products, most of which we already carry on our site. Notably, Hudson Valley Foie Gras was at the show (they don’t usually exhibit at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, only in New York), serving up fresh seared foie gras, foie gras torchon, duck proscuitto and magret de canard. They were clearly there to not only sample their wonderful products, but also to reach out to the food community regarding the pending legislation in California, banning the sale of foie gras in the state, beginning in July 2012.
One of Hudson Valley Foie Gras’ founders, Izzy, was there collecting signatures from those who wanted to help keep Hudson Valley Foie Gras available in California. Hudson Valley Foie Gras raises their ducks free range, and hand feeds the ducks when it’s time for gavage. The company believes they should be excluded from the ban, based on the measures they have taken to keep the birds healthy, comfortable and stress free.
A general observation about the 2010 San Francisco Fancy Food Show was the large number of gluten free foods being offered. I don’t remember ever seeing so many foods marketed as being gluten free, but this year they were everywhere! As always, there were a host of olive oils, dressings, salsas, chocolate and candy and of course cheese.
We thoroughly enjoyed the show as we always do, and hope to soon be featuring some of the newly found French food and luxury products on our website.
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for Medallions of Ahi Tuna and Seared Foie Gras with Pinot Noir Sauce for quite some time now, and New Year’s Eve was the perfect occasion! It worked out well, because I was able to do the sauce and the preparation for the potatoes and mushrooms ahead of time, and only needed about 30 minutes to complete and serve the dish.
The stacked presentation was spectacular and most importantly, the flavors and combination of ingredients were absolutely wonderful.
I followed the recipe almost exactly, and would not change a thing. The recipe is from “the foie gras bible” titled “Foie Gras, A Passion” by Michael A. Ginor, owner of Hudson Valley Foie Gras. The book contains almost 100 pages of information about foie gras–history, production methods, and facts, plus 80 recipes, many of which are created by the world’s most renowned chefs including Jacques Pepin, Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse, Alain Ducasse, Thomas Keller and Jean-Louis Palladin.
If you are a lover of foie gras, and you enjoy cooking, you really must have “Foie Gras, A Passion”.
Ingredients:
Pinot Noir Sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 pound shallots, sliced
4 portobello mushrooms, stems only, chopped (reserve caps for grilling)
3 white peppercorns
3 coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups Pinot Nior
2 cups veal stock
Crispy Potato Cakes
2 large russet potatoes
10 chives, chopped
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons potato starch
peanut oil for frying
Grilled Mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram and parsley work well)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
4 portobello mushroom caps (reserved from above)
Coarse salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Tuna, Foie Gras, and Spinach
1 1/2 pounds sushi-grade ahi tuna, cut into 6 steaks, about 4 oz each
Vegetable oil for grilling
1 foie gras, 1 1/2 pound, cut into 6 cubes, about 4 ounces each
Coarse salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 pound spinach, cleaned
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinot Noir Sauce
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the mushroom stems and cook until they have released all their liquid, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaf, and sugar, and continue cooking until caramelized, an additional 3 minutes. Add the red wine vinegar and reduce until the mixture is dry, about 5 mintues. Add the Pinot Noir and reduce by three-fourths, about 30 minutes. Add the veal stock and simmer until the mixture takes on the consistency of a light sauce, about 1 hour. Strain though a chinois and reserve.
Crispy Potato Cakes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes or until they are barely tender. Let cool slightly, then peel and grate. Add the chives, egg whites, salt, and potato starch. Mold the potatoes into six cakes using a 2-inch-square mold; the cakes should be roughly 3/4 inch thick. Heat the peanut oil in a large saute pan and fry the potato cakes until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
Grilled Mushrooms
Combine the garlic, shallot, herbs, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Marinate the mushroom caps in this mixture for at least 2 hours. Remove the mushrooms from the marinade. Season with salt and pepper, and grill until tender, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Dice the grilled mushrooms into 1/2-inch cubes.
Tuna, Foie Gras, and Spinach
Place the potato cakes in a medium-hot oven to heat through. Brush the tuna with oil. Season the tuna and the foie gras with salt and pepper. On a very hot grill, sear the tuna on both sides. In a hot saute pan, sear the cubed foie gras on all sides until brown. In another pan, saute the spinach in the olive oil and let drain on a paper towel. In another saute pan, heat the Pinot Noir sauce and the diced portobello mushrooms. Place a potato cake in the center of each of six dinner plates with a small pile of sauteed spinach on top of the cake. On top of the spinach, place one tuna steak and one cubed foie gras steak. Spoon the Pinot Noir sauce with the chopped mushrooms around the plate.
I was wondering what to do with my beautiful sage green princess pumpkin after both Halloween and Thanksgiving had passed, when I remembered a recipe I saw for Pumpkin Bisque with Foie Gras and White Truffle Oil. Though I modified the recipe here and there, I was thrilled with the result. Since I generally do not measure seasoning, and the measurements listed are a guess of what I actually used, you’ll need to adjust to your own taste.
The recipe was quick and easy to prepare, once the pumpkin was peeled and diced (that was the most time consuming part). The seared foie gras and truffle oil add a layer of complexity to the soup, though it could be enjoyed without the foie gras or truffle oil.
Here are the basic ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
8 cups diced peeled pumpkin (or use another winter squash)
Melt the butter in a medium soup pot. Add leeks and garlic and cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the diced pumpkin, herbs and spices, salt, pepper and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then cover pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
Remove the bay leaf. Add the coconut milk to the soup and puree in a blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the brandy. Adjust the seasoning the taste. Keep warm on stove.
Heat a heavy saute pan on medium high heat. Season the foie gras with salt and fresh ground pepper. Sear the foie gras cubes, or foie gras medallions on all sides until brown outside, but just cooked inside (still pink, but not raw).
To serve, pour the soup into warmed soup bowls, top with a drizzle of truffle oil, then place the foie gras cubes or medallion on the top of the soup.
Easy recipe for black truffle mushrooms/black winter truffles. Duck breast salad with black truffles, currants, walnuts, Pont l’Eveque, and port reduction. This is a cooking demonstration video highlighting fresh black truffle mushrooms from the Perigord in France. The recipe is Muscovy Duck Salad with Black Truffle, Pont lEveque, Currants, and Port Reduction, from the cookbook Charlie Trotters Meat and Game. The preparation is not difficult, particularly if you have a wine or port reduction already made. The duck breast used in the video is a moulard duck breast, magret de canard, which is scored on the fat side before searing. The salad consists of sliced duck breast (cooked rare), baby greens such as mache dressed with walnut oil and sherry vinegar, toasted walnuts, currants, toasted nut bread with a slice of Pont l-Eveque cheese, a drizzle of port reduction, and fresh black truffle slices, which are heated in olive oil over low heat prior to serving. The combination of ingredients in this delightful salad are perfect with the fresh black truffles. Continue reading Black truffle mushroom recipe: Duck breast salad w/ black winter truffles, Pont l’Eveque, and port reduction
Easy recipe for black truffle mushrooms/black winter truffles. Truffle inserted in scallop, allows the truffle flavor to permeate the scallop.
This is a cooking demonstration video highlighting fresh black truffle mushrooms from the Perigord in France. This recipe for scallop truffle Napoleon with creamed leeks is from the cookbook Truffles, Ultimate Luxury, Everyday Pleasure by Rosariio Safina and Judith Sutton.
This recipe is easy to make and really showcases the wonderful black truffle flavor. A slice of truffle is inserted into the cut center of each scallop and refrigerated for one or two hours, which allows the truffle flavor to permeate the scallop.
Once seared, the scallops are placed on a bed of braised or creamed leeks, and finished with a generous amount of minced black truffles.
Quick overview on black truffle mushrooms/black winter truffles from Perigord, France cost and size. 1 oz black truffle, 2 oz black truffle shown.
This video shows two ripe fresh black truffles from the Perigord in France; one truffle is one ounce and the other is two ounces. If you wanted to buy truffles online, a one-ounce black truffle would sell for between $90 – $150 and the two-ounce black truffle would sell for between $160 – $300. Truffle prices vary by the week, based on supply and demand.
Recipe ideas for black truffle mushrooms/black winter truffles. Several cookbooks are shown with best truffle recipes for Perigord black truffles.
Perigord black truffles from France are in season late November through mid March, and usually reach their peak of maturity in January and February. Look for black truffle mushrooms that are black inside, with white veins, firm to touch; never spongy.
Black winter truffles are the only truffles that are best enjoyed heated or cooked. The heating process intensifies the wonderful truffle flavor and aroma that is unique to black winter truffles. All other popular truffle varieties such as Alba white truffles, burgundy truffles, and summer truffles are best served raw.
Black truffles last longer than white truffles, stored properly, fresh black truffles will last for a week to ten days. The black truffles should be wrapped in a paper towel and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The towel should be changed daily or as need to keep the truffles dry.
This video shows recipe ideas and cooking tips for black truffle mushrooms. Highlighted recipes are truffle omelet, chicken in half mourning (truffled chicken), scallop truffle Napoleon with creamed leeks, potato and truffle torte with veal stock reduction, braised sweetbreads wrapped in black truffles and monkfish wrapped in black truffles and pancetta and truffle sauce.
Fresh black truffle mushrooms from Perigord, France are the best truffles, black interior indicates maturity and peak truffle flavor and aroma.
Perigord black truffles from France are in season late November through mid March, and usually reach their peak of maturity in January and February. Look for black truffle mushrooms that are black inside, with white veins, firm to touch; never spongy.
Black winter truffles are the only truffles that are best enjoyed heated or cooked. The heating process intensifies the wonderful truffle flavor and aroma that is unique to black winter truffles. All other popular truffle varieties such as Alba white truffles, burgundy truffles, and summer truffles are best served raw.
Black truffles last longer than white truffles, stored properly, fresh black truffles will last for a week to ten days. The black truffles should be wrapped in a paper towel and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The towel should be changed daily or as need to keep the truffles dry.
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