Are white truffles really worth the price?  At about $300 per ounce, serving a meal laced with white truffles from Alba, Italy is quite an investment.  Today, I prepared homemade pasta with fresh white truffles,  and was wowed with the amazing aroma and the distinctive, nutty, earthy flavor of these little gems.  I love discovering a recipe that is simple to prepare, yet so decadent and perfect.  This one is just that.  I can’t give exact measurements, since I prepared this using my own judgment, but I’ll share what I can, and I’m sure it will be easily reproduced.  I served this with Prosciutto de Parma and green salad, which was a nice compliment to the meal.

Ingredients

Enough fresh made pasta for 4 – 6 people

8 Tablespoons butter

3/4 cup chicken stock

4 – 6 Tablespoons of freshly grated dry Italian cheese such as Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano

Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

1.5 – 2 ounces whole fresh white truffles

Instructions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock on medium heat and whisk half the butter into the stock, stirring constantly.  When the pasta is cooked to your taste, drain the water and put the cooked pasta back in the large pot.  Add the chicken broth and butter mixture to the pasta, along with the remaining butter and the cheese.  Mix thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in 4 – 6 pasta bowls.  Shave the truffles over each pasta dish at the table.