Truffle Oil

If you like to cook gourmet foods then you probably are familar with truffles and truffle oil. If you want to prepare a special meal for a holiday, birthday or anniversary you may want to use truffle oil as a less expensive alternative to truffles. There are black truffles and white truffles consequently there are two types of truffle oil, black and white. You might want to try both types of truffle oil to see which you prefer. Many people prefer the black type so the white is sometimes hard to find.

If you haven't used truffle oil before you are in for a treat. One reason to buy the oil is that it will last so much longer than fresh truffles ever would. It is also much easier to cook with the oil than with the truffle so this discussion will focus only on the oil.

The first thing to consider is that we are talking about extra virgin olive oil which has been infused with flavor from truffles. Truffles are soaked in the oil for a period of time and this is how the flavor is imparted to the oil. The important thing to consider here is that too much heat will cause the delicate flavor to dissipate. You might be suprised to know that this was not a commercially available product until about 1980. Prior to that time truffle oil was made as needed mainly by Italian and French chef's. Fortunatly for us we can now buy truffle oil any time we want to make a special meal.

So let's start cooking; its easier than you may think!

If you want the best bruchetta in the world just use truffle oil instead of oilve oil. Simply chop some tomatoes add some crushed fresh garlic a little onion then mix it all with a little olive oil and spoon it onto toast.

Vegetarians love truffle oil because it adds flavor to vegetables. Here is one of my favorites. Take a large portobello mushroom and add (into the cap of the mushroom) one tablespoon of balsamic vinigar, one tablespoon of black truffle oil, salt, pepper and one fresh basil leaf torn into a few pieces. Let this soak a minimum of one hour then put it on a grill or bake until the cap turns a darker shade of brown. Then add a slice of provolone cheese, let it melt slightly then remove from the oven or grill, add a slice of tomato and serve on a hamburger bun. Remember cooking will take away some of the flavor so put a few drops of truffle oil on the tomato slice when everything else is done.

Another easy to do recipie is to cut up some potatoes into about 1-inch squares, drizzle them with truffle oil, add fresh rosemary (enough to get some on all the potatoes) add salt and freshly ground black pepper (from a pepper mill). Grate some Pecoraro Romano cheese over the top of the potatoes and bake at 350 until they turn golden. When they are done drizzle a little more black truffle oil over the potatoes and you will have the best potatoes you've ever eaten.