Nothing tender as a truffle

 

    They call truffles – those fabled aromatic fungi prized for their heady fragrance and rich, earthy flavour – the “royal family” of gourmet food. And the white truffle is king.
Chefs have for centuries crowned their dishes with the “diamond of the kitchen”, not least because truffles are widely regarded as an aphrodisiac that, to quote one anonymous poet, “makes women more tender and men more amiable”.
    With harvest season for truffles now in full swing in Europe, gourmet diners are going after the best truffles from France and from Italy – where they’re called tartufi.
    Right here in Bangkok, the best Italian truffles are being served at Biscotti at the Four Seasons Hotel. All this month you can enjoy a “Gastronomic Journey with Truffles”.
Chef Danilo Aiassa, who comes from Alba, source of the best white truffles, is deploying white ones from Piedmont and black ones from Tuscany in his savoury dishes.
    Truffles grow amid the roots of trees. Unearthed by specially trained dogs, they emerge shrivelled and black-skinned, not easy to distinguish from clods of dirt.
    Families jealously guard the locations of the richest truffle corners in the forest, and the wealthier landowners go as far as ringing the areas with electric fences to discourage both human poachers and wild boars.
    One of the world’s most sought-after gastronomic treasures, commanding astronomical prices, the white truffle is mostly found in Piedmont, growing in stands of oak, willow and poplar.
    It’s harvested from September to December, ranging from walnut to orange size.
You don’t mess around with something this expensive in the kitchen – in fact, white truffles are never cooked, only served fresh.
    The black truffle is more common and affordable.
The truffle dishes at lunch or dinner at Biscotti cost Bt1,950 to Bt2,700, with additional charges.
    They include black truffle with gratinee cauliflower soup and pan-fried scallops; white truffle with pan-fried langoustine, sauteed porcini mushrooms, poached egg and fontina cheese fondue; and white-truffle risotto with Dover sole and robiolino cheese.
    Then there’s roasted rack of lamb with black truffle, sauteed morel mushrooms and savoy cabbage lasagna; and white truffle, homemade ravioli filled with ricotta cheese, spinach, quail egg and butter sauce.
    Book a truffle adventure at (02) 126 8866, extension 1229-30.

Do you like this story?