Recipes with truffles and saffron - the noble kitchen

Using truffles in the kitchen

The truffles have been used by gourmets to enhance the taste of high quality meat, pasta and even fish dishes. You could also call it perfuming. A combination of truffles with saffron is in a class of its own.

In view of the high prices, the truffle is an ingredient that "refines" any dish on its own. Truffle dishes are also ideal for important occasions.

The white truffle is undoubtedly a very expensive delicacy, which unfortunately significantly limits its use in everyday life.

It is therefore important to know which criteria are decisive when buying truffles.

The two most important requirements when choosing are:

• The Truffle aroma: The truffle must smell clearly of truffle, as soon as you smell ammonia, the truffle is already overripe. I advise against buying in the case.

• The consistency: the tuber must be hard. You shouldn't be able to squeeze the truffles (like a sponge), because otherwise the precious tuber is already old and tough.

However, the degree of freshness and the type of truffle can only be best determined when the tuber is cut. Unfortunately, very few truffle sellers want to cut their tubers, as this would reduce the truffle price many times over.

Truffle storage

Basically, truffles only last a short time, so they should be consumed as soon as possible. Nevertheless, there are tricks to improve the taste of the noble tubers even a few days after harvesting with the right one Truffle storage to be able to enjoy. First, let the truffle air dry for a few hours so that the debris can be removed more easily. Please use a brush with soft bristles for this and do not clean under water. The alba truffle should be eaten within 4 days. The black truffle is less expensive but easier to store. This is also the type of truffle that is most commonly used for "truffle creams". Cream in the sense of tartufata or spice concentrate. The black truffle is a type of mushroom that must be consumed within 2 weeks of the truffle harvest. If you still want to keep truffles in the refrigerator for a longer period of time, proceed as follows:

Carefully dry clean the tubers with a brush. Then wrap each truffle individually in kitchen paper or a napkin. Then they put the wrapped precious bulb in a not completely airtight jar. Attention! The truffle aroma is often adopted by other foods such as cheese or milk. The perfect cooling temperature is between 2 to 4 ° C. Please change the kitchen paper daily, otherwise mold will form on the outer skin. If stored correctly, the precious tubers should be stable for around 2 weeks. Attention! As soon as the truffles smell of ammonia, they are spoiled.

If you want to store your truffles longer, you can freeze the tubers. However, the truffles can then only be used for sauces, because freezing makes the consistency of the tubers tough.

What is the best way to freeze truffles?

Truffles can either be frozen whole under vacuum or mashed in the form of sauces, for example, ground together with oil, salt and garlic. Tupperware made of glass is best for freezing truffle sauces. The tartufatas lose some of their aroma after being heated, so it is advisable to add a little more truffle to the sauce before freezing it.

Or you can rub the truffles in melted butter and freeze the truffle butter. The homemade truffle butter can later be used perfectly for sauces or soups in small portions. Simply take the truffle butter out with a coffee spoon and spread it over the food or pour the truffle butter on the hot noodles. By the way, this method is also great for white truffles!

It was an old custom to pickle truffles in rice. In this case, the vessel was hermetically sealed. The rice absorbs the moisture and the truffle aroma well. Tip: After you have eaten the truffle bulbs, you can also prepare the rice for a truffle risotto, because the rice has taken on the truffle aroma.

Freeze drying of fresh truffles

A new technique has recently been introduced to preserve truffles for up to 24 months without losing their taste. So far, however, this method has only been possible in industry.

First the truffles are cleaned and cut into fine slices. Then deeply dried until there is only 1% to 5% residual moisture. This is achieved with the help of expensive vacuum devices, which can cool down to very low temperatures.

If you want to use the freeze-dried truffle slices for cooking, soak them in lukewarm water until the truffles soften. Then please use the truffle slices with the water for a truffle dish.

Saffron in the kitchen 

Saffron goes well with truffles. The expensive spice is often used as a starter for dessert. Saffron also goes well with risotto, crustaceans, seafood, steamed meat or delicious sauces. Exactly these dishes can also be refined with truffles. So why not combine both spices on one plate? Saffron and truffle are only added at the end of the cooking process, otherwise they will lose their aroma. The only difference is that you should soak saffron in lukewarm water for 2 to 24 hours. It's not that big of a difference, as I have just noticed, because according to the new method of freeze-drying truffles, you also have to soak them in water before they can be used. And just like with truffles, you should pay attention to the dosage with saffron: two stamps of saffron per person are sufficient.

Using saffron outside of the kitchen

Saffron, like truffles, is used in natural cosmetics for various cemen because it has anti-inflammatory properties. Saffron has been shown to reduce hyperpigmentation on the face or other skin areas.

You can make the saffron truffle cream cure yourself at home:

Mix a pinch of saffron and grated truffle with lemon or cucumber juice and spread the mixture on the face. Leave the treatment on for a few minutes and then rinse off. Please repeat the process several times over the next few days to notice a change in skin color. Incidentally, the saffron skin treatment gives the skin a yellow complexion. Please don't be frightened by the sight. Sleep on it for one night and cleanse your face and body with soap and water the next morning.

Saffron and truffles also help reduce gum inflammation

Should you ever feel tired and weak, a teaspoon of saffron can be stirred into honey and taken daily. This should counteract the feeling of weakness.

Truffle meets saffron - our gourmet recipe

Truffle and Saffron Risotto Recipe

Ingredients for 4 persons:

360 g arborio rice

40 g butter

2 sachets of saffron

¼ onion

vegetable soup 

2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

50 g Alba truffle or 80 g black truffle

(Preparation: 5 min. Cooking: 20 min.)

First clean the truffles thoroughly with a brush. Finely chop the onion and fry 15 g butter. Then add the rice and roast for a few minutes. Season lightly with salt and slowly pour the soup stock into the pan. Only cook the risotto over low heat and stir the risotto often. After about 15 minutes, dissolve the saffron in a ladle of soup and add to the risotto. Maybe add a little more salt to taste and let it simmer until the rice has a soft consistency.

Once the rice is cooked, turn off the stove and add the remaining butter (25 g) and ground pepper. Stir everything well until the butter is absorbed. Rub some fresh parmesan over the risotto and let the saucepan rest for a few minutes until you serve the rice dish. Finally, distribute the risotto on individual plates and use the truffle slicer to spread freshly sliced truffle slices. enjoy the meal!