The illusive white truffle is in season, found shaved over dishes all across the "Truffle Valley" we live in. Travelers are enamored with truffles when they visit Le Marche in the fall and rightfully so with a price tag of 3,000 Euro a kilo. We recently served a truffle themed dinner with white truffles foraged from the woods behind our farmhouse. The aroma was so pungent the earthly smell filled our house, the guests were all curious how to cook this strange mushroom. But here's the secret you don't actually cook with them, instead shaving hundreds of euro over a finished dish like a paper thin fritatta, fresh pasta, risotto or a beautiful steak. The truffle should never touch the heat of the pan or it will kill the flavor immediately.
So go on and hock the family silver for a plate of irresistible homemade tagliatelle and white truffles!
Tagliatelle with TrufflesTagliatelle con TartufiServes 4
400 grams fresh pasta
white truffles - as much as you can afford
2 egg yolks
1-2 sages leaves
salt and pepper
1 pad of butter
olive oil
3-4 spoonfuls of beef broth
In a pan melt butter with olive oil on low heat. Add in sage leaves and gently cook for a minute or two.
In a pot with plenty of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al'dente. Once cooked, scoop out the pasta and place directly in the pan with sage.
Remove from heat and toss the pasta gently. Add broth and egg yolks constantly tossing the pasta in the pan to coat the past in the egg without is scrambling. Season with salt & pepper, remove the sage.
Transfer pasta to the plates and shave truffle on-top. The truffle should never touch the heat of the pan.
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