"Miche" in ...
>
> Now, the thing is... I need ideas! What can I do with this lovely oil?
>
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions!


[Here's something I posted elsewhere in 2003. These products appeared in
the US several years ago, and in recent years some of the chefs at high-end
restaurants have been overusing them -- if the oil is strongly aromatic, it
dominates everything. The stuff is all about aroma, rather than flavor.]

Good Truffle (-infused olive) oil can be "white" or "black." Both can be
good if fresh, the white maybe on the average more intense. The latest
bottle I have on hand is [black] "Extra Virgin Olive Oil With Truffle" from
Tartuflanghe in Piobesi D'Alba. A little Google searching should turn up
much more info on that firm. The large Urbani firm in Italy (the one in
recent years selling _Tuber aestium_ in the US a manner much like regular
"truffles") bottles similar oils with wider availability, I've used them
also.


Uses for "truffle oil"

-- An unusual "Macaroni and Cheese" recipe I've posted here and there, not
aimed at kids. Gruyère cheese, Madeira sauce, sautéed cremini or other
mushrooms, cooked Italian piece pasta -- penne rigate or large shells or
whatever -- and optional block foie gras (tinned OK) -- an "adult"
macaroni-and-cheese. Sprinkled with truffle oil after cooking. (To serve
with good adult wines if possible.) (Tell kids it has liver in it if
they're curious. They'll probably try it anyway, the aromas from the oven
drive people crazy. Professional religious pronounced this dish heavenly.
Unofficially of course.)

I also found truffle oil useful in the places where fresh truffles are
traditionally used.

-- It enhances sautéed mushrooms, or most any mushroom dish (cultivated or
wild).

-- Egg dishes -- scrambled eggs, omelets. Maybe with mushrooms, chives,
scallions, or all of the above. (Europeans like to store eggs in a jar with
fresh truffles to absorb the aroma, then scramble them. Sprinkling truffle
oil is a very rough approximation.)

-- Delicate risottos. Arborio or other rice cooked in meat stock (with
sauteed chopped shallot or onion if possible) and finished by stirring in
good Reggiano Parmesan or other cheese -- sprinkle truffle oil on portions
just before serving.

-- Pasta dishes. Such as with Gruyere or Madeira or mushrooms or foie gras
or whatever.

Important: 1. Sprinkle the oil at the end, as a flavoring. It fades with
cooking. 2. Keep it tightly sealed, refrigerated, and a fresh bottle with
good aroma can keep for up to a couple of years after opening.

-- Max