Truffles.....prices

[shroomgirl]

Late Last night I was roaming the new Whole Foods...very dangerous to my pocket book. Came up with 5 year old Gouda, Red Dragon mustard seed cheese, bosc and comice pears, Dandilions, escarole, fogase with caramelized onions, artichokes with long stems (couldn't believe they carry them), loads of olives, dried green tomatoes, short ribs....AND numorus jars of Urbani Truffles....not sure if they were correctly priced...15gms or 1 3/4 oz of Black truffles in a jar of truffle juice....the top says Himalagensis. $9.99 for these gems. Did I get a bargain or not? I checked out Urbani's website and did not see them listed. I don't know whether they are summer or winter ones.

 

[bouland]

Yes and No. In France, fresh truffles tend to run $1 to $2 a gram, depending on the season and the store. Paris is more expensive than the countryside. Truffle season is still a few months away so there's no word on this year's priced as of yet.

But that's for fresh truffles. The jarred ones are OK for decoration, but they lack the aroma and flavor of the fresh thing. I use the bottled truffles diced or julienned very fine when I need to impress someone who doesn't know te real thing, but for a true truffle dish you will need the fresh item.

 

[kimmie]

I paid $95 (CAN) for a gorgeous fresh black truffle, that was last year around Christmas time. I let it sit a few days with my eggs...YUM We had a wonderful Christmas breakfast with "Oeufs brouillés aux truffles" [translation: Scambled eggs with truffles].

 

[bouland]

My two favorite ways to eat fresh truffles is with an omelete or puree de pommes de terre (mashed potatoes).

 

[isa]

I ate many things that contains either truffle skin, truffle juice or any by product of the truffle. Thinking about this today I realised I never tasted a piece of truffle on it’s own.

 

[kimmie]

Christmas is around the corner, Isa. Maybe Santa will think of you this year!

 

[isa]

Truffles aren't high on my wish list Kimmie. There are many things I'd prefer to a truffle....

 

[kimmie]

You got me curious, Isa!

 

[isa]

About what Kimmie? :look:

 

[kimmie]

Your Xmas wishlist!!

 

[isa]

Aren't we curious this morning What do yuo think is on my wishlist? Cookbooks and kitchen things of course!

 

[kimmie]

 

[isa]

I like the dream part of the wishlist. I don't think I'd really like it if all of a sudden I would get everything that is on it....


What do you do when you don't have a wishlist anymore....

 

[chrose]

Last year my local gourmet store had Oregon Truffles at 199.99/lb. They weren't bad. Not quite French but had a nice flavor. Skin texture was a little odd though. They had a fine black powder like texture. Kind of like little teeny tiny spores.
This year they have fresh French truffles at 299.99/lb. I talked the produce manager into selling me the rice that they keep it in. Xmas dinner is going to be gooooooood this year!!!
Anyone who wants truffles at 299.99/lb. e-mail me with $$$ and I'll get them for you.

 

[bouland]

Are you should these are from the 2001-2002 season? Usually the truffle season in France doesn't start sometime in December. I just returned from working in a couple of kitchens in France, and neither had truffles from this season, yet.

 

[chrose]

Bouland you are of course, correct on this. The Oregon Truffles had a distinct difference as I noted from the French ones. Last December or so they switched over to the French ones and they just never went away so I guess I never really thought about it.
I'll have to ask the produce mgr. but they had fresh french truffles all year round.
Unless Oregon has figured out how to cultivate Tuber melanosporum.

wait a sec! News flash!!!
Unless they are actually: gasp, the dreaded Tuber Aestivum, Scorzone Black Summer Truffle.

Now I'm embarrassed that I didn't even think about it!

Oh well as they say in Canada c'est la vie
Still the rice is a good deal and if you don't think too hard you can probably allow yourself to be fooled.

 

[shroomgirl]

Funnnnnny!!!!! Make your own reality. What are you serving with your truffle rice (is it Arborio?)

 

[chrose]

Shroomgirl,


That's my motto (or at least it ought to be)
I am not kidding you when I tell you that I had a dream about truffles last night. I don't remember a lot of it, but I do remember that I had a Truffle the size of a baseball in my hot little hands. I twisted it open and was looking for the classic Truffle smell. It was too faint and the Truffle was kind of weird (as was the dream)
Anyway, I don't know what I'm going to do with the rice just yet. I'm actually not even sure what rice they keep them in. I'll have to take a look. I hope it's Arborio and I can make my favorite Risotto Milanaise!

 

[slavegirl]

I came face to face with a truffle for the first time last night. Two nights ago I had my first taste of truffle oil, in a half moon pasta dish. I could smell a strong mushroomy smell, yummy!

Last night the exec chef put two white truffles out on a dish with eggs and uncooked rice. Everyone on the staff eventually got around to sniffing them. STRONG! Ick! They didn't smell very good. Someone commented they were the first batch in this year, and would be better later on. I tried a piece of cheese later on that was infused with truffle goodness, and I could taste it immediately, recognizing it from the oil in my dinner the night before. It really does stand out, doesn't it? I never knew it was the smell of the truffle that imparts the flavor to other things, I thought you just cooked with it and it had a taste itself. There's a plastic jar full of rice and eggs, and truffles buried inside waiting to be used in the future.

The restaurant has a truffle dinner in November, and I am excited to work that night and see what it is all about!

Slavegirl
http://www.restaurantslave.com

 

[chrose]

Here's a comment some might find odd, but so what else is new?
When I am asked to describe truffles I can only answer in one way. I tell them they smell like sex.
Seriously. What I mean by that is the scent has a natural earthiness to them. It is a phermone type of attraction. Why do you think it drives pigs so wild!!!
That to me is the underlying attraction to them, not sex per se, but that animal sort of attraction....truffles, my wife, family web site...oops gotta go.

See ya:bounce: