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 recipe for Monkfish Wrapped in Black Truffles and Pancetta with Truffle Sauce is exceptional.  This recipe is one of the least time consuming and least complicated Jean-Louis Palladin recipes we have ever prepared.  Usually when we prepare recipes from his book “Cooking with the Seasons” we spend anywhere from one to two days preparing the recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 1 1/4 oz fresh black truffle, coarsely chopped

• 3 Tablespoons lobster or chicken consomme or stock

• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Monkfish:

• 1 1/2 oz black truffle

•6 oz pancetta, sliced thin

• 2 (10 – 12 oz) skinless fillets of monkfish

• Freshly ground pepper

• 2 Tablespoons plus 1 Teaspoon olive oil

• 1/2 oz black truffles for garnish

Start the sauce: Cream the butter in a food processor. Add the truffles and continue processing until smooth. Cover truffle butter and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.

To finish the dish and serve: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice 1 1/2 oz of truffles paper-thin. Set aside. For the garnish, julenne 1/2 oz of truffles.

Cut the monkfish fillets in half crosswise to form 4 equal portions. Season generously on both sides with pepper. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a very large skillet over high heat, 2 – 3 minutes. Add the fish pieces and cook 30 to 45 seconds on each side. Drain on paper towels; let cool about 2 minutes.

Grease a cookie sheet or baking pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil; set aside. Now prepare each portion of monkfish as follows: Cover all surfaces of each portion, except the very ends, with 1/4 of the reserved truffle slices; then wrap fish crosswise with 1/4 of the pancetta slices, sealing truffle slices against the fish and leaving ends of fish uncovered; ends of the pancetta slices should be underneath the fish. Once all fish portions are prepared, transfer them, seam side down, to the prepared cookie sheet. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven just until the fish is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes; do not overcook. Heat the serving plates in the oven for the last 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, finish the sauce. To do this, combine the reserved chilled truffle butter with the consomme or stock in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat just until the butter is melted, whisking constantly; season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

When the monkfish is cooked, cut each portion in half crosswise with a sharp knife; arrange 2 of the halves on each heated serving plate and spoon 2 Tablespoons sauce in between. Garnish with the julienne truffles. Serve immediately.

We made these delicious onion crepes with black truffles a few years ago.  The combination of flavors of earthy black truffles, duck fat, cream and cured meat is divine!

Black Truffle Crepes

Serves 4 – 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 4 ounces black truffles

• 3 oz goose or duck fat

• 1 garlic clove

• 2 large onions

• 4 slices diced pancetta or bacon

• salt and pepper

• 3 oz melted butter

• 3 oz crème fraiche or heavy cream

Instructions

To make the crepe batter: In one bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt and set aside. In another bowl, beat 2 eggs, add 1 cup milk, then add the flour mixture, add two tablespoons melted butter. Option: add 1/2 tablespoon of Armagnac or Cognac. Set aside.

Peel the truffles saving the peelings, slice the truffles thin. Cut four round pieces of waxed paper, six inches in diameter if you are using a six inch pan. Rub them with garlic, then brush on some melted butter. Cover the waxed paper rounds with the truffle slices so that the truffles cover the entire paper, brush with melted butter again, then put them in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

Slice the onions thin, place in a pan with goose fat (or duck fat) add the chopped pancetta (or bacon) salt, pepper, and cook until the onions are light golden. Add the truffle peelings and let them heat just a little. Add the cream, heat for two minutes at the most, cover and set aside, keeping it warm.

Make four crepes, the same size as the waxed paper circles. Set aside keeping crepes warm. On each crepe, spread the onion mixture. Take the truffles out of the refrigerator and top each onion covered crepe with one of the pieces of waxed paper, truffles side down (truffle slices are on top of the onion mixture and the paper is on the very top). Put the crepes in the oven until the butter on the wax paper melts and the truffles are warm. Remove from the oven, then remove the paper gently. Serve warm with Fleur De Sel and/or pepper.

Option: when truffles are not in season, you may replace them with foie gras shavings from a foie gras torchon or canned product. In this case, on a warm crepe add the warm onion mixture, add the foie gras shavings, top with a slight sprinkle of pepper, and serve immediately.

This recipe is a simple classic for fresh black truffles, known as Poulet Demi-Deuil, or Chicken in Half Mourning. This recipe is usually prepared with chicken, however, we prefer the taste of Cornish game hen. Black truffles are best when cooked with some form of fat, so if the skin is very lean, baste the breasts with butter a few times during the cooking process. If you are using chicken, you will probably need to double or triple the recipe, since the chicken will be much larger.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cornish game hen (or double the recipe for chicken)

• 1 oz fresh Perigord black truffle, wiped clean and sliced thin

• Salt and pepper

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter

• 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced in half

• 1 tablespoon Madeira

• 1 teaspoon cognac

Instructions

Use your fingers to gently pull the skin from the breast, legs, and thighs of the Cornish game hen without tearing the skin. Slip the truffle slices under the skin, covering the breast and legs completely. Shake a small amount of salt and pepper inside the game hen before trussing it tightly with kitchen string. Wrap the hen in plastic and refrigerate overnight to allow the truffles to flavor the meat.

Rub ½ tablespoon butter on the outside of the bird, then cover with salt and pepper. Rub the cut side of the garlic and then the remaining butter on the inside a small casserole just large enough to hold the bird (casserole should have a lid). Place the hen in the casserole and add the Madeira and cognac. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.  Keep the breast moist, adding butter if necessary.

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.

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

I’ve been making this recipe for Leek and Potato Soup for almost 30 years (oh, heavens!).  Tonight, I decided to add fresh Burgundy truffles, since our first shipment arrived today.  The earthy flavor and wonderful aroma of the Burgundy truffles were a nice addition to this classic soup.

Ingredients

1 bunch of leeks, cleaned and cut in slices or chopped

¼ – ½ jalapeno pepper, minced with some seeds

3 tablespoons butter

2 ½ cups diced russet potatoes

3 cups milk

Salt and pepper

1 ounce fresh Burgundy truffle, shaved

Instructions

Melt butter in a large pot and sauté the leeks and jalapeno pepper until light golden brown.  Add one cup of water and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the diced potatoes, salt and enough water to cover the potatoes.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Add milk and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Top each bowl of soup with 3 – 5 slices Burgundy truffle. Serves 6 – 8

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.