Fresh.....or in jars For sure a fresh truffle is better! But a well cooked truffle in jar can give almost as good results! That said, if our fresh truffles are available, do not hesitate.... That's why TRUFFLEfrance advises you to get its fresh truffles from December to March, and to get its truffles in jars out of season, to be able to enjoy them all year long.
How to get the best of fresh truffles? A truffle smells strong....but it lets its perfume go very easily. So you need to take care of it. First, do not let fresh truffles in the open air. The best is to keep them in the refrigerator in a close box (ie. tuperware), with a leaf or two of absorbent paper, where it can be kept about ten days. For preparations with eggs, rice or potatoes, the best is to place the truffles one or two days before with them in a closed box, so as they get infused with the truffle aroma. The truffle flavor will be bigger!
Truffles in jars (or cans): which category? For the most rafined presentation, either with an entire truffle, either with magnificent truffle lamellas, only the Grade One category will give you satisfaction. You will be able with it to make a prestigious meal with principal food, the french cuisine's black diamond. The Pieces category is ideal for salads, stuffingands, omelets...where truffles have anyway to be cut in pieces. Tiny Pieces are enough for preparations that do not need any entire slices for the decoration. For a reasonable budget, you will be able to make omelets, toasts, pâtés...The truffle's taste and flavor will be even more present due to the presence of small pieces of truffle.
How to cook truffles? To preserve all its aroma, a truffle should not be cooked too much. Add them just before consumming the meal, at the end of the cooking. Eat raw truffles will always give you the best of it !
How to preserve truffles? The best way to preserve truffles is to freeze them. Once unfreezed, the truffle is almost as good as fresh. An other way to preserve it from the oxidization is to put it in a small bowl, filled in with goose or duck fat, and to keep it cool. You can also put it in oil, but be careful to use corn or grapes' pips oil, oils without taste. And do not put more oil than truffles in the bowl. This oil will then be marvelously perfumed and delicious to prepare a salad. Do not forget you also can keep our truffles in jars for up to three years!
Do you need to peel truffles? A truffle is full of taste. Even if its interior has a better taste than its peel, TRUFFLEfrance advice you not to peel them. Its peel and its body have grown together, and it's together that they will offer you all the smells and savors. But if you'd rather peel your truffles, do not let out the peels: put them in a bowl with oil, this will be delicious with a salad.
Truffles best companions? Potatoes, eggs or noodles perfectly capture the powerful taste of the truffle. But there are also aromas and savors that better capture its perfume: every meal prepared with garlic for exemple. If you prepare a truffles omelet, begin by rubing the pan with some garlic, you'll see! There are also scallions, onions, leeks. Raw, in a salad, the celery will also make it better. There's also the parmesan which , in small quantity, will act as a revealing for the truffle. If you prepare macaronis with truffles, do not forget it!
Work the truffle for a better presentation and a bigger aroma You need to preserve it from the oxydation, but also avoid to use the food mill. Crush the truffle with a fork allows you to crush the spores which are of an extraordinary olfactory wealth. And also, with the fork, we obtain unequal pieces which awake the palate's sensibility and let us enjoy it even more. TRUFFLEfrance also propose you its mandolines which will allow you to obtain thin regular lamellas for a more elegant presentation, but will also able you to chop the truffle to liberate all its powerful aroma. But the most somptuous presentation isn't to let the entire truffle virgin...
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