COOKING: Truffle infusion 101

Truffle Infusion 101

Now that I have my precious white Oregon truffles...what do I do with them?  This question has launched cookbooks, created arguments and has divided friendships.  OK, probably not divided friendships but people do have opinions on how to use fresh truffles the best.

I've learned that it is the Volatile (VOCs) gas that the truffle lets off that infuses fat rich items with that glorious truffle fragrance.  Truffles can also be thinly sliced over warm food to lift up the aroma to your nose and help your pallet multiply the truffely (Yes, that is a word as far as I am concerned)  goodness that will be going in your mouth.

Step 1: Clean your truffles. It is generally better not to wash your truffles until you are ready to use or freeze them.  You want to make sure to get all the dirt off of them to help remove any soil borne bacteria or pathogens.  Yes, dirt is dirty.  You can use a toothbrush or the like to scrub off the dirt from your truffles.  Scrub the dirt off under a stream of water until you have removed all the dirt and debris.  Once they are all cleaned, place them on a paper towel to dry and weigh them for either bragging rights or to let the patch owner know how much came of their land if they are interested.

Step 2: Cut off the bad spots and refrigerate.  Any brown or soft spots should be cut off to help extend the life of the truffle.  You can take the cut off sections and bury them in your yard bye a fir tree and hope for the best in the future :)

Step 3: Pick your items to infuse.  Remember, high fat items work best.  Here are some that I have used in the past.  Other items to consider are avocado oil, salmon and alcohols.

Step 4: Place the items you wish to infuse and the truffles in an air tight container and refrigerate.  It is important to put the truffles on a paper towel to absorb the moisture they give off.  Make sure to change the paper towel every day.  Don't let the truffles actually touch the food you are infusing.  There could still be bacteria from the ground on the truffles so it is best to not contaminate the food you infuse.  Remember folks...it is all about the volatile gasses!  Some things you don't even have to unwrap such as sticks of butter.  Just plop them right into the container.  The gasses go right through. Same with raw eggs.  The shells allow enough of the gas in to flavor the eggs so you can cook them up and have easy truffled eggs.  Yum!

Raw eggs, avocado & Parmesan cheese 
being infused by White Oregon Truffles
(need to add a paper towel below truffles in tea strainer)

I had a few left over Kombucha brewing jars so I used one to infuse Avocado, Parmesan cheese and raw eggs. You will note there is moisture in the jar...that is why you need to ensure the paper towel is changed daily.

Avocado, Parmesan Cheese, Raw Eggs & White Oregon Truffles 

(Observe the moisture..the paper towel needs to be changed out)

Step 5: Check your container daily to see if the food is infused with the amount of truffle to your liking.  Depending on what you are infusing it could take a day or even a week to get to the level of your liking for truffle infused strength.  If you start to see parts of your truffles turn brown or start to feel mushy, take them out of the food container and pass them onto the fir trees if you have one.  Remember to change out the paper towel daily.

Don't forget to experiment! 

This time around I tried infusing lox. It was a hit!  Really added an additional element to my lox bagels - especially when offset by the acid in tomatoes.  

Salmon Lox being infused by a ridiculous
amount of White Oregon Truffles

There are many truffle infused foods on the market you can look to for inspiration.  Think out of the box a bit and you may find yourself getting crafty with truffle infused marshmallows!

Keep in mind that heating up the item you infused could ruin the flavor which is why truffle oil is usually used as a garnish instead of a cooking oil.  More on this later when I discuss cooking with truffles.

Let me know how your infusions go and if you have any suggestions of infusions you thought were successful.  Enjoy!