Truffle Oil for the Nouveau Pauvre
In the past decade truffles have attained new heights with the riche and the nouveau riche. Recently, such luxuries have given way for more pragmatism. No need to despair however, there is another way to get that magical earthy flavor: truffle oil, the truffle’s understudy.
Made by the French and Italians infusing white or black truffles into olive or other oils, the result is highly aromatic, a powerful flavor that can transform any dish into a meal fit for a king. It is one ingredient in my pantry that is present and accounted for, and not just during fall’s truffle season. As oil, I get to use it year round, and in a well-preserved state.
Because truffle oil is a complex and pungent flavor, there are only certain types of dishes that it can enhance: a risotto with cream and mushrooms, scrambled eggs with chanterelles, roast chicken, cream of mushroom soup, steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes…and so on.
One must be very careful how to use what I have come to call an essential oil (in my kitchen that is). Sometimes you may want the truffle flavor to be the star or simply just to support a mushroom’s role. Other times you may want it to add complexity and depth as a silent ingredient in the sauce—which is one of my personal secrets. Either way you must carefully calibrate the quantity to get the desired experience.
In selecting your truffle oil, be very diligent by reading the ingredient list of the brand at hand, making sure that any added flavor is natural and not artificial. The stalwart brand to turn to is Urbani, Italian to the core and trustworthy.
No need to relegate this oil to the nouveau pauvre—it is far too useful on so many dishes. So the next time you decide to serve your new friends truffled eggs, please feature your star ingredient and do so proudly in open court.
After all— a good story is the theatre behind a great meal.
Rony Zibara
Editor-In-Chief and the gourmand-gourmet behind Poetry of Food; a food memoir which has been in preparation since he was a child. His earliest memories are in the kitchen with his mother cooking French and Lebanese dishes, and with his South American grandmother making Spanish dishes as the cook prepared a repertoire of salsas and sauces. Having grown up in Beirut and lived between Paris, Toronto and now New York, Rony’s food and travel experiences have always been part of his personal cuisine. An avid storyteller, he believes it’s not about the size of the catch, but about the day. It’s the experience, the setting, the people, and most importantly, the ingredients that turn the meal and the flavors into a memory. While not a professionally trained chef, Rony is a cook by all counts; his life revolves around the culinary joys of food, searching out new ingredients, new recipes, and new cultures. And while he loves the restaurant scene, he is not an obsessed follower. Rony’s food passions lie in the poetry of the everyday meal and not in the pursuit of the absolute ‘best’ or perfect meal. His extensive career in innovating and branding new products and experiences has been a great support and backdrop for his passions in food culture and is evident in the overall design and presentation of this food memoir.