Truffles are the nec plus ultra for a certain group of gastronomes. And I’m not talking about whipped cream truffles ;-). You have a kind of top ten of ingredients that fools like me drive 100 km or more for; bottarga, prosciutto San Daniele and Parmigianno Regianno 24 mese are of course among them, but on top of this gastronomic Parnassus stands the winter truffle alone. And not the black, but the white: the Tuber Melanosporum Pico or Tartufo Bianco. White truffles are more complex, delicate and have a stronger flavor than the black ones. On the outside they are a bit more ‘tubular’ and secretly not white, but light brown. The inside has a more dirty white color (it even goes towards beige), with white veins. White truffle is also many times stronger, so you automatically need less of it.
You also don’t have to heat the white truffle like the black one, because raw it already has a fantastic taste. Processed by risotto, care crudo – steak tartare, a poached or fried egg or gravy. Slice or grate it over fresh pasta (delicious with lots of butter), meat, fish (turbot and scallop are ideal), potato dishes, porcini mushrooms or even salads. Or mix it with warm vegetables, butter, mayonnaise or oil. 5 to 10 grams per person is enough.
The white is actually only found in Italy; however, they do not only come from Piemonte (Alba is the center) but especially from Aqualagna in the Marches. That’s where ours come from through Marini Azzolini Tartufi, a very renowned truffle company, important because you have to know the origin and be able to trust it. Sometimes our entire restaurant smells like Tartufo Bianco during this time. A deeply earthy, animate and even ‘horny’ scent. Not known as an aphrodisciac for nothing. Just fry a fantastic quality egg so that the yolk is still running. Scrape a few grams of white truffle over it with a special truffle slicer. Glass of Franciacorta; great bubbles, on the side. Also allowed on Sunday morning. Or any other day of the week.
Buon appetito!
