Black Perigord Truffles

We can’t be more excited that the famous Perigord Black Truffles are now available at HPD! And to celebrate truffle season, we’ve put together a few cheeky facts about Perigord Black Truffles along with some of our favourite truffle recipes to honour this delicious “underground mushroom”! 

When it comes to truffles, most foodies would agree that nothing says culinary status symbol quite like adding a shaving or two of these pungent yet aromatic truffles to a dish. Known as the Black Diamond of Perigord, the black truffle - tuber melanosporun - is one of the most revered culinary ingredients. With an intense earthy flavour, and a rich, pungent aroma, it adds a layer of sumptuous luxury to any recipe. So here are some handy truffle facts to keep in your back pocket:

1. How to store and use truffles

USE: You shouldn't cook your truffles for long periods of time or over excessive heat. Simply shave truffles over dishes at the end of preparation or when plating. The heat from the dish will bring out the aroma and flavour of the truffle.

STORAGE: Truffles have a short shelf life and should be eaten as soon as possible to enjoy them at their best (which, let’s face it - shouldn’t be difficult!). Truffles will keep for 1 -2 weeks if stored carefully, however the aroma and flavour will usually halve in about 5 days. You should store your truffles in the refrigerator wrapped in a paper towel, or popped in a glass jar wrapped in paper towel in the fridge.

2. Truffles are actually a fruit

Truffles are the fruit of very special members of the fungi kingdom. A truffle can generally be considered a type of mushroom under a definition that states “any spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungi a mushroom”. This is generally true even though truffles grow below ground and don’t have a prominent stem or spore-bearing surface like most other mushrooms.

3. They’re (bloody) expensive

Why are truffles expensive? Well, all good things take time. Truffles are expensive because they are so hard to cultivate, and in the wild, they are difficult to find. Truffles are delicate and only grow in very specific conditions, they take years (and years) to yield edible fruit and all the effort, expense and time it takes to bring them to harvest makes them an expensive food to produce.

4. Truffles are filled with nutrients

Truffles are low calories, low fat, low salt and have no cholesterol. They provide an enormous amount of dietary fibre, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, calcium, iron, and magnesium.

5. You’ll need a dog (or a pig) to find buried truffles

The highest quality truffles that make their way to market are harvested with the help of trained truffle dogs (or pigs!), who can identify ripe truffles by their scent while leaving unripe truffles to mature undisturbed in the ground. Unfortunately, some truffles are still harvested by raking, which indiscriminately produces mostly immature, unripe truffles. A truffle that is harvested before it reaches maturity will never properly ripen for culinary use.

Truffle Recipes

Can you hear that? That’s our tummy rumbling from all the truffle talk! Here are some of our favourite truffle recipes to celebrate this diamond of the kitchen;

1. Fondata con Tartufi (Truffle Fondue)

Gather your friends around for a cheesy truffle feast and warm your souls with this delicious Truffle Fondue.

2. Truffle Omelette

Eggs, cream, butter and truffles. Four simple ingredients for the best omelette of your life! Find the recipe here.

3. Truffled Macaroni and Cheese from The Truffle Cookbook by Rodney Dunn

Comfort food at its best with a touch of truffle to really indulge. Be warned: this recipe is not for sharing. Find the recipe here.

4. Mushroom and Truffle Soup

There’s mushroom soup, and then there’s this mushroom soup. Total soup-y goodness!

5. Fettuccine with Mushroom, Truffle and Egg Yolk

Unleash your inner-Italian with this delicious pasta dish that would make any Italian nonna proud! It’s Bellissimo! Find the recipe here.