This recipe is ideal for either summer black truffles or Burgundy truffles.  In this preparation, the truffles soak up the juice from the steak and become warm and softened.  Since summer truffles are only a fraction of the cost of winter truffles, you can be generous with the quantity of truffles used.  We used French summer truffles for this recipe because French summer truffles tend to have a more robust flavor than Italian summer truffles.

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients:

Two 1.5-pound aged prime porterhouse steaks

coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 cup beef stock

1/2 cup Cognac or other brandy

4 – 8 ounces French summer black truffle (or Burgundy truffles)

Instructions:

Remove the steak from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.  Season both sides of the steaks with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  The steaks can be grilled, broiled, or cooked in a skillet. (If the steaks are cooked in a skillet, reserve the juices for the sauce).  For rare or medium rare steaks, the cooking time should be approximately 10 – 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steaks and the temperature of the grill, stove, or broiler.  If using a meat thermometer, 120 degrees indicates rare, and 125 degrees for medium rare.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the summer truffles using a sharp knife, mandoline, or truffle slicer.

Saute the shallots in a skillet over medium high heat in 2 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil until soft and slightly golden brown.  Add the beef stock and cook until reduced almost to a glaze.  Add the Cognac and immediately set fire to the sauce.  Cook for 1 – 2 minutes over medium heat, then gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition until the butter is just incorporated and the sauce is slightly thickened.

Line a pan with the sliced truffles and set aside until the steaks have finished cooking.  When the steaks are rare or medium rare, remove them from the heat source, and place them on top of the layer of truffles.  Cover the pan with foil, and let the steak rest for 10 minutes, turning once after the first 5 minutes.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and slice the meat.  Arrange the steak slices on each plate, being sure to serve some of the filet portion of the steak to each guest.  Top the steak with a spoonful of the Cognac shallot reduction, and a generous serving of the juice soaked, warm truffles.  Serve with mashed potatoes (enhanced with white or black truffle oil or truffle butter if you desire), and a green vegetable such as asparagus, sugar snap peas, or green beans.

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.

Black truffles from the Perigord region in France are now reaching maturity and will continue to improve in flavor and aroma through January and February.

Truffles are a type of mushroom that grows within the root structure of certain varieties of trees.  There are over 70 varieties of truffles, but the most sought after varieties include summer truffles, Burgundy truffles, white truffles (Alba truffles), and black winter or Perigord truffles.

Black winter truffles, also known as Perigord truffles, are highly aromatic and have a distinct earthy flavor.  When mature, black winter truffles should be charcoal to black inside with white veins.  They should be firm; never spongy.

Black truffles from the Perigord region in France are in season from late November until mid March, and reach the peak of maturity in January and February.  Prices change weekly, based on supply and demand.  Because black truffles are popular on holiday menus, the prices tend to spike during the month of December, and especially for Christmas and New Years.

Perigord black truffles are best when cooked because the heating process releases the wonderful truffle flavor.  A black truffle omelette is a simple, but wonderful way to experience the true flavor of black winter truffles.  Other popular recipes include Pommes Salardaises, and chicken in half mourning (truffled chicken). A good version of these three classic truffle recipes can be found in the cookbook, Saveur Cooks or on our website www.mirepoixusa.com.

Some additional cookbooks which feature multiple black truffle recipes include Caviar, Truffles and Foie Gras, by Katherine Alford, Truffles, Ultimate Luxury Everyday Pleasure, by Rosario Safina and Judith Sutton, Charlie Trotter’s, and Jean-Louis, Cooking with the Seasons, by Fred Maroon.

Truffles should be brushed lightly to remove any dirt.  The skin of the truffle can be peeled or left intact.  Truffles are usually sliced very thin, with a sharp knife or truffle shaver.

Store black truffles in an airtight container, wrapped in a paper towel to absorb the moisture.  The towel should be changed daily, or as needed.  Black truffles are best consumed within a week to ten days after being harvested. It’s best not to store black truffles (or any type of truffle mushroom) in rice, because the rice can dry out the truffle, and there is little benefit in perfuming the rice with the truffle aroma.

For more information about black truffle mushrooms, truffle recipes, or to buy truffles, please visit our website.

Black truffle mushrooms from Perigord, France

This may be my favorite truffle recipe for Burgundy truffles.  The nutty flavor of the Burgundy truffles goes very well with the beef filet and pecorino cheese.  The black truffle oil really boosts the truffle flavor in this dish–don’t skip it!  I think this could also be made with summer truffles or white winter truffles.  I wouldn’t use Perigord truffles because Perigord truffles are really best when cooked or at least warm.

Ingredients:

14 ounces well-trimmed filet mignon

1 lemon

1 tablespoon black truffle oil

Fleur de sel

Fresh ground pepper

3 ounces Pecorino cheese, shaved

2 ounces Burgundy truffle, shaved

2 cups arugula

Lemon or orange infused olive oil

Huckleberry or raspberry vinegar

Instructions:

Wrap the beef in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 30 – 45 minutes until the meat is firm but not frozen.

Meanwhile, Dress the arugula with a splash of huckleberry or raspberry vinegar, a generous drizzle of citrus olive oil, and a sprinkle of fleur de sel and pepper.

Using a sharp knife, slice the filet paper-thin.  Arrange the thin slices of beef on a flat plate.  Squeeze ½ the lemon on the beef, drizzle truffle oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top the thin beef slices with shaved truffle and pecorino.  Put a mound of greens in the center of the plate, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Serves 4

Truffles go particularly well with eggs and other mild flavored foods such as pasta and potatoes, because these unobtrusive ingredients do not overpower the flavor of the truffles.  When using black winter (Perigord) truffles, it is best to let the truffles sit in the beaten eggs for several hours, even four or five hours.  Omit the cheese if winter truffles are used.

Serves 2

Ingredients

6 large eggs

1 large French summer  truffle, about 1.5 oz, thinly sliced

¾ cup shredded Petit Basque cheese (or another nutty, mild, semi-soft cheese)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

Optional: Salmon caviar

Instructions

Preheat the oven broiler.  Whisk the eggs thoroughly in a medium-sized bowl.  Add the shaved truffle and the cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a 9 – 10 inch oven-safe skillet.  Immediately add the eggs, truffle and cheese mixture.  Reduce the stove to low heat and cook for 10 – 14 minutes until the frittata is almost set.  The frittata should be slightly runny in the center.

Place the skillet under the broiler and cook just until the top is set, not brown.  This will take about 30 seconds to one minute.

Garnish with salmon caviar if desired.

To enhance the truffle flavor, you may add truffle oil and/or salt to the eggs before cooking.