Truffle

About

Fresh truffles are expensive and typically used sparingly, allowed to dominate a dish's musky, pungent complexity. The flavor of white truffles has been successfully replicated by a synthetic compound called bis(methylthio)methane, used to make truffle oil, which is widely drizzled over dishes and sometimes injected into blander truffles before shaving. Synthetic truffle oil is not inherently inferior and works well in dishes like mashed potato, cauliflower, cabbage, or macaroni and cheese, offering a reasonable approximation of truffle flavor for those who haven't tasted the real thing.

Pairs well with truffle

• EaPotatoSpanish explorers encountering potatoes in 16th-century Colombia reportedly called them "earth truffles" for their similar qualities.
• SuEggStoring a fresh truffle with whole eggs for a day or two lets its aroma infuse through the shell into the fatty yolk, after which the eggs…
• SuGarlicGarlic is a common tasting note for truffle -- the gastronome Brillat-Savarin recorded white Piedmont truffles as tasting distinctly of…
• EaMushroomTruffles aren't mushrooms but are closely related fungi.
• MeBeefFrench and Italian preparations of beef and truffle differ in style.
• MaShellfishTruffle and lobster pair especially well: a key aroma compound in white truffle, bis(methylthio)methane, sulfurous, garlicky, mushroomy,…
• MePorkTruffles begin oxidizing as soon as they're dug up, turning pungent at first and then fading to a bland bitterness within days, and…
• MeChickenChicken and truffle pair in dishes such as poularde en demi-deuil ("chicken in half-mourning"), where black truffle slices are slipped…
• BrBaconTruffle and bacon have been paired since at least the nineteenth century; an 1833 recipe for 'Truffles with Champagne' stews whole…
• SuCauliflowerCooked cauliflower shares flavor compounds with truffle, so shaving fresh white truffle over a cauliflower risotto enhances truffle notes…
• EaCeleryCeleriac purée mixed with mashed potato, cream, and grated truffle is a classic combination.
• ChBlue CheeseBlue cheese and truffle are often combined in a creamy sauce for steak, or in choux pastry filled with blue cheese, cream cheese and…
• SuCabbageTruffle's aroma is largely due to dimethyl sulfide, the same compound responsible for cooked cabbage's smell, explaining their natural…
• ChSoft CheeseTruffle's aroma is often compared to garlic and cheese, and washed or bloomy-rind cheeses like Brie de Meaux and Saint Marcellin are…
• SuAsparagusCooked asparagus develops a sulfurous sweetness that pairs well with black truffle, shaved or drizzled as oil over asparagus soup.
• MeLiverFoie gras with black truffle is a rich, showy classic.