Pity the Poor Truffle Pig (And the Truffle Dog Even More)

Dominique Filoni, executive chef of Avenue in Long Branch, grew up in the south of France foraging for wild leeks, exotic mushrooms and snails. But he has never hunted for truffles. “It is a very secretive process," he says. "And very competitive as well.” Pigs and dogs do the actual hunting. And though the animals aren't harmed, you have to feel sorry for them.

Traditionally, the coveted subterranean fungi–these days fetching up to $3500 per pound–were sniffed out by female pigs, which are intensely attracted to the truffle’s distinctively pungent, musky aroma.

Nowadays, truffles growing under European oak, hazelnut, poplar and beech trees–usually at a depth of four to 12 inches–are increasingly located by trained dogs.

“The dog is a smaller animal and it is easier to control and restrain,” Filoni explains. “The hog is a big beast, and has a tendency to eat the truffle once it finds it. They dig very fast.”

If any dog needs anti-depressants, psychological counseling and the ministrations of a dog whisperer, it has to be the poor, tantalized truffle dog.

The truffle dog’s loss is the truffle person’s gain. It’s the way of the world.

So let’s get on with it. Truffle loving people will be glad to know that this month Filoni is offering an array of black truffle dishes, three-course truffle menus ($50) and the option to top any dish with truffle shavings for a $15 surcharge.

The unattractive ingredient looks much like a dirty, bumpy rock, but it is anything but humble.

Prized for their aromatic qualities, white truffles, hailing from the Piedmont region of Italy, briefly come to fruition in the fall, can grow to nearly five inches in diameter, and are the most valuable. The smaller Perigord black truffles, which Filoni is serving, come from France. Their exotic perfume peaks in winter.

These specimens sell for $900 to $1400 dollars per pound. The more common summer truffles are available all year for $250 to $300 per pound, “but they are not as good,” Filoni cautions.

This year and last have been challenging for truffle hunters.

"Too much rain in Europe during harvest time is preventing the people from going out to find quaity ones."

The truffle has a growing season not unlike wine grapes.

"It starts to develop in March and April. It starts to grow fully in July and August. It reaches maturity by the end of November. The harvest can start in December."

The black truffles Avenue is serving this week "were dug out just a few days ago. Thursday probably. Our purveyor received them yesterday, and we got them this morning [Tuesday]. The shelf life of the black truffle is about 3 weeks, tops. Then they start to lose their flavor."

If the truffle is fresh and of good quality, mere shavings over a dish are enough to bring forth the truffle’s natural, nutty flavor, earthy and rich.

Proper use requires a culinary balancing act. “You do not want to put tons of truffles on everything," Filoni says. "You want to slice them thin enough that you won’t overpower what you are trying to eat."

One of the dishes he is preparing this month is truffled duck eggs. The eggs and the truffles are sealed in a container for a couple of weeks.

“The eggshells are porous, so they absorb all the flavor of the truffle.” When they are ready, the eggs are scrambled and topped with fresh truffle shavings.

Filoni’s truffle risotto is made with a special Vialone rice from Italy. The creamy starch is enhanced with celeriac, pine nuts and an espuma, or foam, made from whipping reduced truffle juice and cream in a high speed blender.

For those wishing to experience truffleocity at every course, Filoni has created a sublime truffle ice cream.

"We take a vanilla ice cream recipe and adjust it to incorporate the truffles; we infuse the eggs—like we do for the scrambled recipe—for a couple days. We add sliced and diced truffle and steep the milk for the custard."

As you might expect with such a rare and expensive delicacy, attempts have been made to cultivate truffles. The jury is out.

"In the past couple decades," Filoni relates, "there has been some success by inoculating trees with a fungus and keeping them under controlled conditions that encourage growth. It is being done in California and Oregon, particularly by vintners looking to diversify.

"The most success has been with the black variety, but their quality has been a matter of debate. The advantage is that local chefs can acquire and use them on the same day, when they are at their peak of flavor. Nevertheless, it is a risky business, as it can take up to a decade to get a good harvest.

"I think they are good quality, and make good substitutes for the price. They are different from the Perigord ones in flavor and aroma, but I have not worked with them extensively."

Neither have Europe’s hard-working truffle pigs and truffle dogs. If you want to know how good cultivated West Coast truffles really are, just bring over a couple of those four-legged experts.

Their snouts don’t lie.

Avenue website: leclubavenue.com

 

 

SUZANNE ZIMMER LOWERY is a food writer, pastry chef and culinary instructor at a number of New Jersey cooking schools. Find out more about her at suzannelowery.com.

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