Truffles – A rich person’s mushroom?

The eighteenth century epicurean and food writer, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin called them ‘diamonds of the kitchen’ and given that nowadays their cost can exceed $2500 per kilo, it’s an apt description.

Truffles are edible, mushroom-like tubers that grow on the roots of trees – notably the Oak, Birch, hazelnut, pine and poplar tree – they have been known going back to antiquity, mostly in Western Europe and particularly France and Italy. The truffle is considered a delicacy not only because of its rarity (hence the price) but also because of its culinary virtues.

The delicacy lost popularity during the middle ages when, so savoured were they that many myths sprang up around them leading to the belief that they were ‘witches’ fare’ and a creation of the devil. The puritans, of the middle ages believed them to be an aphrodisiac that led to temptation and sin.

And they may have had a point there as the truffle exudes a pheromone (sex hormone) called androstenol – particularly attractive to females, apparently. It is the same pheromone that is in the sweat of a male and to which women are attracted – although only when the sweat is fresh – stale sweat does not have the same effect and can even have the opposite one.

Adding some empirical data to the debate, I find the smell of truffles totally intoxicating whereas of the four adult males in my family, only one finds it moderately pleasant, one has no real opinion and the other two don’t like it at all.

It’s why female pigs were used to hunt truffles – they only started using dogs in preference when they found they often couldn’t control the enthusiasm of the sow and she would dig up and devour the truffle before anyone could stop her. That’s some expensive pig’s swill for a randy sow.

Apparently, the dogs don’t eat them; they only indicate where they are likely to be.

It was during the French Renaissance that truffles started to grace the tables of the nobility again in coincidence with the exponential increase in production of the delicacy following the discovery of how to cultivate the truffles, until then, unknown.

However, these halcyon days ended with the First-World War and the loss of great swathes of forests and also the coming of disease that killed the crops. By 1960, the cultivation of truffles was at an all-time low.

Even nowadays with crops having increased substantially, there is still ten times more demand for the product than what is cultivated – and some believe that this should not change as it keeps the prices high.

Types

There are two different categories of truffle – the white variety from Piedmont – often referred to as ‘Alba’ and the black varieties – the summer truffle and the winter or ‘Perigord’ truffle.

It is the Perigord truffle that is said to have the most powerful and lasting aroma and is the most highly prized with its summer counterpart being milder. That said, there are many who believe the white alba truffle overshadows both. Me? I like them all.

Cultivation  

Until the French Renaissance, truffles cultivated themselves naturally and part of their mystery was that it was not known how to do this intentionally. It was when it was found that planting an acorn from an infected tree would grow another that would produce truffles that the crop increased.

These days, they have managed to cultivate truffles outside of the traditional areas of France and parts of Italy in places like Australia and New Zealand. The first Antipodean crop was harvested in 1993 in Gisborne, New Zealand.

But it takes patience – and the first truffles will not appear on new, infected trees for 7-10 years. The fruiting trees have a life of around thirty years.

On one of my first ever visits to France, I stayed in a gite (guesthouse) – just outside of Chablis in Burgundy. It was a working vineyard with around 12 rooms for guests. The proprietors Francois and Francoise were genial hosts and delighted in showing us around the property – that included their newly planted orchard.

They had planted oak trees in order to cultivate truffles. We were intrigued.

“How does one cultivate truffles,” we asked?

He shrugged his shoulders in that typical Gallic fashion and said:

“You plant the trees, and then you wait.”

That may be easy if you live in France, where truffle spores occur naturally in the atmosphere but in the case of the New Zealand and Australian plantings, spores had to be imported and the trees carefully inoculated with them – without this vital ingredient they would have been waiting forever.

Using Truffles.

These days, winter, in Australia, sees a plethora of Australian cultivated truffles hitting the market and most of the better (read: more expensive) restaurants are featuring them. They are shaving them on all manner of things.

I have dipped polenta chips into mayonnaise topped with shavings of truffles: had a truffle pizza: eaten arancini (deep-fried Italian rice balls) flavoured with truffle and also pasta dishes, where I believe the flavours really come into their own – the simpler the better. In fact it is in adornment of the humble scrambled egg where the truffle is most celebrated.

Here’s one of my favourite recipe using truffles – it’s decadent and not for everyday and you’ll have to time it well to coincide with when the stores have stocks of truffles (and, in Australia, that’s not always). However if the stars align this recipe is more than worth it for that special occasion. What’s more, it’s not difficult, I made it for 40 people for a friend’s special birthday dinner. That was 10 years ago and they’re still talking about it!  It’s what you make when you’re out to impress and you have more money than time or culinary talent

Truffled poussins with foie gras and madeira gravy 

Chickens

• I small poussin (sometimes called spatchcocks) per person
• *butter
• *1 thick slice of mi-cuit foie gras (per poussin) –about 1 cm thick to cover the breast of the birds. (This is another hard-to-obtain ingredient – use chicken or duck liver pate if unavailable)
• *Salt and pepper
• *I truffle thinly shaved (David Jones Food Hall and Simon and Johnson stores in Australia are your best source or get one online)

Maderia Gravy

*Chicken stock  – say 500mls
*Madeira (or another sweet wine like sherry)- say 100 mls
*Beurre manié (cornflour and butter rubbed together to thicken sauce)
*Pan juices

Method

• *Combine butter with half of the grated truffle.
• *Loosen the skin of the poussins (especially the breast) by inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh.
• *Stuff the truffled butter under the skin and rub over outside of bird too.
• *Season with salt and pepper.
• *Roast the poussins in 180 degree oven until cooked and golden basting often with the pan juices.
• *When the birds are golden and when the juices run clear when a skewer stuck in the bird near where the leg meets thigh, take them out of the oven and keep warm.

Gravy

• *Using all the pan juices but skimmed of most of the fat (reserve to cook potatoes) add the chicken stock and reduce liquid to just over half to concentrate the flavours.
• *In a separate saucepan boil the madeira until it has too reduced by around half then add to the pan juices and stock.
• *Bring to the boil.
• *Add small pieces of the beurre manié and whisk, slowly adding more until you have your desired consistency.

To serve

• *Lay the foie gras (or paté) on top of the breast of the hot chicken – it will start to melt almost straight away, so work quickly.
• *Place thin slices of the remaining truffle on top of the foie gras.
• *Ladle the madeira gravy over the chicken and serve with your choice of vegetables (and a side dish of gravy for anyone who wants more – and believe me, they will).