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.
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!
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.
We have waited until now to start offering white truffles due to the maturity and mediocre quality of the white truffles available in the last few weeks. We are now able to get very good quality truffles and have therefore officially kicked off the white truffle season! As always, the quality (maturity) of the truffles improves throughout the season.
Currently, prices are quite reasonable for nice quality, aromatic white truffles from Alba, Italy. Typically, the prices escalate during the season according to the maturity of the truffles, as well as supply and demand. White truffles are the most rare and most expensive variety of truffles. Attempts to cultivate white truffles have never been successful; therefore, there is a very limited supply of these little gems, and the demand for them is strong!
Always use white truffles raw or just slightly warmed to enjoy their full flavor and aroma. Shave them over steaming pasta or risotto, potatoes, eggs, or other mild flavored foods. White truffles pair well with cheeses, cured meats, white meats as well as many other foods.
The most fragrant and flavorful truffles are now beginning to mature for harvest! Ripe Burgundy truffles are available now, to be immediately followed by winter white truffles from Alba, Italy (beginning this week!), and finally, Perigord black truffles will be available towards the end of November, possibly in time for Thanksgiving.
We began offering Burgundy truffles two weeks ago, and expect to have them for a least a few more weeks. Last year’s Burgundy truffle season was very short, due to the weather conditions in France. Let’s hope we don’t have a repeat this year! Burgundy truffles usually reach maturity in mid to late September and the season generally extends through mid November.
When ripe, Burgundy truffles have a chocolate brown interior with ivory veining. A close relative to the summer truffle (tuber aestivum), the exterior looks almost identical bearing a black rough surface formed of small pyramid shapes. These truffles have a delicate but distinctive hazelnut flavor and an intense, musky, flowery aroma. Burgundy truffles are more flavorful than summer truffles, but not as robust in flavor as black Perigord winter truffles.
Attempts to cultivate the burgundy truffle have not been successful; therefore our season’s harvest is acquired primarily in wild forests and woodland areas throughout East-Central France, using trained dogs.
Burgundy truffles are used similarly to summer truffles. They are best served raw or lightly cooked and are usually presented in thin slices. Use Burgundy truffles in salads, with eggs, potatoes, risotto, or pasta. Burgundy truffles add wonderful flavor to cream or stock based sauces, but should be cooked only briefly on low heat.
Try our recipe for Beef Carpaccio with Burgundy Truffles posted on our blog. The combination of thinly sliced raw filet mignon, spicy arugula, and earthy Burgundy truffles is divine!
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.
This video shows a fresh white truffle from Alba Italy being shaved over a steaming plate of homemade pasta. This truffle recipe is easy and delicious!
The aroma of fresh white truffles will fill a room with heavenly fragrance! White truffles from Alba Italy hasve an intense earthy flavor with a hint of pepper and garlic.
Shave raw white truffles on pasta, risotto, salads, eggs, sauces, or with poultry or other white meats such as rabbit or veal. White truffles also pair well with hard Italian cheeses, proscuito and salami.
Here’s the recipe for white truffles with pasta:
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
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.
http://www.enjoyfoiegras.com/products/truffles.html Preserved black truffle mushrooms from Perigord are a good alternative when winter truffles are not in season.
Preserved truffles do not have the intense flavor and aroma of fresh black truffles, but they can be substituted in some recipes off-season. To add to the flavor of the preserved black truffles, you may add truffle oil, truffle salt, or truffle juice.
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.
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.
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