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This potato salad is a version of my favorite French potato salad from the classic “Silver Palate” cookbook. I toned down the dressing and added black truffle oil. The original recipe calls for ¼ pound of bacon. The summer truffles pair well with the more refined flavor of pancetta, but certainly bacon could be used.
Ingredients:
1 pound new or red-skinned potatoes, quartered
3 oz pancetta, diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped shallots
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 ounces summer black truffles, sliced thin
Vinaigrette:
1 ½ tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons black truffle oil
Drop the quartered potatoes into a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender but still pretty firm.
Meanwhile, sauté the pancetta in olive oil until some of the fat has rendered and the pancetta is slightly crisp (Bacon may be substituted, in which case no olive oil is needed). Remove pancetta (or bacon) and leave the fat in the pan. Add the chopped shallots to the hot oil and sauté until the shallots are tender and golden but not too brown. Set aside.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper until blended. While whisking, slowly add the black truffle oil in a slow, steady stream until the dressing is emulsified.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and drop them in a medium bowl. Toss the potatoes with the reserved shallots and pancetta or bacon fat and about ½ of the parsley. Add the truffle slices and pancetta or bacon. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the truffle slices, pancetta and potatoes and toss carefully, trying not to break the truffle slices. Sprinkle remaining chopped parsley on top of the salad and serve.
Summer black truffles are at the height of the season! This article addresses how to enjoy summer truffles to the fullest.
The most important thing to remember when using black summer truffles in recipes is that these truffles are NOT the same as winter black truffles or winter white truffles. Summer truffles have a much milder aroma and are more mushroomy in taste than their sought after cousins. It will rarely work well to substitute summer truffles for winter black truffles, particularly if the preparation requires cooking.
Winter black truffles are best when cooked. The cooking process releases the wonderfully intense truffle flavor and aroma. Summer truffles are so delicate in flavor that they will lose much of their taste if cooked; therefore the most important rule with summer truffles is to serve them raw or only slightly warmed.
On the exterior, summer truffles look very similar to winter black truffles as both varieties have a dark, almost black exterior skin. The inside of summer truffles is beige, where winter truffles are dark charcoal to black inside (when ripe).
 Summer Black Truffles Summer truffles have a delicate nutty flavor and a slightly crisp texture. Because the flavor of summer truffles is fairly mild, pairing them with other foods is easy. Summer truffles offer an economical way to boost almost any seasonal menu.
One of the easiest ways to incorporate summer truffles into existing recipes is to simply add them to your favorite salad. Summer truffles pair well with all summer vegetables: baby greens of any type, asparagus, green beans, fava beans, corn artichoke, fennel, onions, leeks and more. For salad preparations, about one ounce of summer truffle per person is a good rule of thumb. To intensify the truffle flavor, use a black truffle oil vinaigrette. If you wish to have a one-dish-meal, top the truffle laced salad with a piece of grilled halibut, sole, salmon, or other fresh fish.
Summer black truffles can be added raw, at the last minute to soups, potato dishes, risotto, eggs, and pasta dishes. Simply shave a generous portion of summer truffle on top of the dish or incorporate the truffles into the dish just before serving. Just remember not to expect the same intense flavor as you would enjoy with winter black truffles or white truffles.
In terms of pairing summer truffles with meats and fish, there are endless choices. Generally lighter meats and almost any fish or shellfish work well with summer truffles. Choose meats such as veal, pork, or poultry, beef carpaccio, or use cured meats as an accent to a vegetable, potato, or pasta dish. Recommended seafood selections include scallops, lobster, langoustines, or almost any type of fish such as halibut, cod, sole, snapper, skate wings, monkfish, or even salmon.
Pairing wine with truffles is simply a matter of personal taste. Certainly any wine originated from a truffle producing area would be a good choice.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of summer truffles is the affordable price. At a fraction of the cost of winter black truffles or white truffles, one can be generous with summer truffles, adding them to a wide variety of seasonal recipes with pleasing results.
This light but flavorful salad makes a perfect side dish for any summer menu. The black truffle vinaigrette really boosts the flavor of the summer black truffles. Since summer truffles are only a fraction of the cost of winter black truffles or Alba white truffles, and are considerably milder in flavor and aroma, they can be used in generous amounts.
Ingredients for Salad:
4 oz. haricots verts, blanched until tender but crisp and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
8 cups mixed greens such as arugula, mache, mizuna, frisee
½ cup finely chopped mixed herbs such as cilantro, basil, parsley, tarragon, thyme, chervil (use only a small amount of the stronger herbs such as tarragon or thyme)
6 green onions, sliced thin
4 oz black summer truffles, sliced thin
3 oz provolone cheese, sliced very thin
Ingredients for Black Truffle Vinaigrette:
1 ½ tablespoons Champagne or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons black truffle oil
1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
For the Black Truffle Vinaigrette, whisk together the first five ingredients in a small bowl. Continue whisking, while pouring a thin steady stream of black truffle oil and olive oil.
For the Salad, combine haricots verts, greens, herbs and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle half the dressing over the greens and mix well ensuring that the greens are well coated with the black truffle vinaigrette. Add the sliced summer truffles and drizzle the remaining dressing over the truffles. Toss the salad carefully trying not to break the truffle slices. Distribute the salad onto four plates and top with thin slices of provolone cheese. Serves 4.
We made this dish a few weeks ago, and the combination of duck legs confit, grilled on the BBQ and this flavorful middle eastern couscous salad was delicious. This recipe is ideal for entertaining because the salad can be made well ahead of time and the duck legs confit take no time at all to prepare. If it is not convenient to grill the duck legs confit on the BBQ, just cook them in a pan over the stove, skin/fat side down, until the skin is crisp and the meat is warm.
Recipe: BBQ Duck Legs Confit with Israeli Couscous Salad
Ingredients
4 duck legs confit (confit du canard)
1 cup Israeli couscous
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or lemon infused olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped or sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 baby eggplants (3-4″ in diameter) or 1 large eggplant, cubed
sea salt
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
½ cup blanched and shelled fava beans
2 sprigs of mint, leaves cleaned and sliced in thin strips
4 tops of sprigs of mint for garnish
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
fresh ground pepper
Instructions:
Sauté the dry Israeli couscous in about one tablespoon olive oil until slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups boiling water to the couscous, cover, and cook until water is absorbed. Rinse in cold water. Set aside.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onions in a small pan. Cook the onions slowly over medium to low heat until the onions are caramelized.
Meanwhile, In a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook very slightly (do not brown). Add the cubed eggplant and distribute another tablespoon olive oil over the top of the eggplant, attempting to coat most of the cubes of eggplant with some oil. Sprinkle salt over eggplant to taste. Cook eggplant until it is soft inside and crispy and slightly browned on the outside. To get the eggplant crispy, more oil may be needed. Adjust oil as desired. Set aside.
Once the onions and eggplant are done, add them to the Israeli couscous in a large bowl. Add the fava beans. Whisk the lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper to taste and one tablespoon of olive oil. Pour over the couscous, onion, fava bean and eggplant mixture and mix well. Add the mint and feta and mix to distribute. Set aside.
When ready to serve the meal, grill the duck legs confit, fat side down, on medium low heat. Cook until the meat is hot and the skin and fat is crisp and browned. The duck legs confit can be turned to cook on the side with little fat; however, it’s best to have the fat and skin side down the majority of the time.
Serve the salad slightly warm or at room temperature, with the duck leg confit on the side. Garnish the salad with a few mint leaves.
We love summer truffles for their versatility and affordability. At only a fraction of the cost of Alba white truffles or Perigord black truffles, summer truffle mushrooms can be used quite generously, complementing a wide variety of recipes. Summer black truffles can generally be substituted for Burgundy truffles, since both varieties are best served cold or slightly warmed. We don’t recommend cooking summer truffles as their delicate flavor dissipates with prolonged heat.
Similar in appearance to black winter truffles, summer truffles have a nubby black or brown skin, and a pale beige interior marbled with white veins. Summer truffles have a much different texture, flavor and aroma than their sought-after cousins. The aroma is milder and the flavor is more mushroom-like and nutty. The outer skin is tougher, and they are slightly crisp.
Most black summer truffles are harvested in France and Italy. The season for French summer truffles is mid to late May until late July. Italian summer truffles are usually available through August. We prefer summer truffles from France because we believe the flavor profile is better. As with all truffles, the season begins with immature truffles, which have not yet reached their maximum flavor and aroma.
With proper storage, summer truffles will usually last up the ten days. Do keep in mind that the flavor and aroma will fade over time. Black summer truffles should be wrapped carefully in a paper towel and kept in an air-tight container or jar in the refrigerator. It is very important to keep truffles dry; therefore it is a good idea to change the paper towel daily. All truffles hate dampness, and will develop mold if moisture is present. If mold develops, simply shave the affected area.
Just prior to using the summer truffles, inspect the truffles for any dirt or gravel. Often, there will be no visible dirt, in which case cleaning is not necessary. If there is any dirt on the truffles, brush them with a soft damp cloth or toothbrush. You may also use a sharp knife to remove anything lodged in the crevices of the mushroom.
All truffles, including summer truffles are usually served sliced very thin. Paper-thin slices are best achieved with a truffle shaver or mandoline. A very sharp knife may also be used; however it is more difficult to achieve uniformly thin slices. Summer truffles can be peeled, or left with the skin intact.
Since summer truffles are much less pungent, and much more affordable than winter black truffles or white truffles, generous portions are recommended. The crisp, nutty flavor is best when served raw or slightly warmed. You may boost the flavor of summer truffles by adding truffle juice or truffle oil to your preparation.
Shave summer truffles on beef carpaccio and drizzle with truffle oil or add thin slices to a cheese omelette. For a delicious salad, slice the truffles paper-thin, allowing the truffles to absorb some of the salad dressing. Summer truffles pair well with light, summer dishes, so a good rule of thumb is to use seasonal ingredients when experimenting with summer truffles.
Please share your favorite summer truffle recipes with us! If you submit your own recipe with photos, you may be selected to win a $100 gift certificate for EnjoyFoieGras.com. Contest rules are available here: http://www.enjoyfoiegras.com/subscribe.html
Recently I discovered a type of chili called Chili Marash, which I absolutely adore. I buy it by the pound and use it on practically everything. This vibrant red chili comes in moist flakes, is sweet and a little smokey with medium heat. Though it is not as mild, it reminds me a little of Sumac, and I use it similarly to the way Sumac is used in Turkey. I keep a bowl of it on the table along with my fleur de sel and fresh ground pepper.
For this simple but delicious salad, I simply cubed a single smoked duck breast, (also known as Magret de Candard) cubed one large mango, sliced some red onion, and two small endives and added a generous sprinkle of the Chili Marash. I dressed the duck breast and mango mixture with a vinaigrette made with a sweet huckleberry vinegar, lemon infused olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed garlic and cayene.
The duck salad was served on a bed of mache, which was also dressed with the same vinaigrette.
Having just returned from a two week trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, with a generous amount of red mole paste, I’ve been experimenting with pairing spicy red mole with foie gras and duck products. I’m always amazed by the versatility of foie gras, and was pleased to find that foie gras does indeed pair well with mole.
The mole I used was one given to us from some friends; therefore, I do not have the recipe for the mole itself. A prepared product can be purchased at a grocery store, or the mole can be made by hand. The one I used was quite spicy with intense flavor. I thinned it with chicken stock and added nothing else.
 Seared Foie Gras with Oaxacan Mole Ingredients:
1/3 cup spicy red mole paste
Chicken stock (about 1/2 cup)
One bunch of swiss chard, cleaned and chopped, leaving only a small amount of white
Two cloves garlic
Olive oil
8 ounces raw foie gras, sliced in four pieces and sprinkled with salt
One mango, but into small cubes
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Fleur de sel
Instructions:
Combine the mango cubes, honey, fleur de sel, and cilantro and set aside. Add swiss chard to a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for a few minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in a frying pan and cook garlic for a few minutes. Add drained swiss chard and saute for several minutes until done. Meanwhile, heat the mole paste and add chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved. Heat another heavy saute pan on medium high heat and add the foie gras to the hot pan. Cook foie gras on both sides until golden brown, about 2 – 3 minutes.
To serve, pour a ring of mole on the serving plates, leaving the center of the plate with no sauce. Place a mound of the sauteed swiss chard in the center of the plates. Place the seared foie gras slices on top of the chard, and spoon about 1/4 cup of the mango salsa on top of the foie gras. Enjoy!
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.
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