We all have those bucket list items that are relatively easy to check off, but maybe we just never get around to them. Cooking with a fresh truffle in my kitchen was one of mine. Sure, they’re a fairly expensive ingredient, but I’ve also wasted more money in a year on clothes I’ve never worn (d’oh) than it would cost to buy several black truffles. I just never pulled the trigger.
Kindness Dropped On My Doorstep
Well, thanks to a really spectacular friend, I added a checkmark next to “cook with a fresh truffle”! The best thing about this gift is that it was a total surprise. I opened my front door on Tuesday to find an absolutely unexpected fresh truffle delivery. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. I know I’m not alone at being at the very end of my rope with living through a pandemic. This true act of kindness and generosity helped to lift me out of a real funk.
This is a long winded way of saying, “OMG. I got a fresh black truffle in the mail and I am so excited!” I immediately decided I needed to make fresh black truffle pasta to pair with my truffle. It was a perfect way to showcase this exceptional ingredient.
♥ Related: Pistachio Strawberry Linzer Cookies
I don’t expect anyone to run out and buy a fresh truffle. But. Valentine’s Day is coming up and I think, if you’re looking for a fancy dinner at home, this could be a fun way to celebrate. I used half an ounce of black truffle for two generous portions of truffle pasta. Truffles often come in one ounce sizes, so you can easily get four meals out of a truffle which is honestly cheaper than a big sushi order.
How to Store & Prep A Fresh Truffle
- Keep your truffle wrapped in a paper towel and stored it in an airtight container in a warmer part of your fridge. I’m storing mine in the door.
- Fresh truffles scent anything it’s near (hence the airtight container), but that means you can impart truffle flavor to other ingredients you store with the truffle. I’m storing mine with Arborio rice for risotto!
- Don’t sit on your truffle. They lose their flavor fast, so consume them within a week. Next up on my list: truffled mushroom soup!
- My mandolin worked well for shaving my truffle paper thin so I didn’t need to buy a truffle shaver.
- My microplane grater did a great job of grating my truffle into my butter sauce.
Video: Watch Me Make Black Truffle Pasta
Black Truffle Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ oz fresh black truffle
- 3 oz European-style butter
- 1 lb fresh fettucine pasta see notes
- 2 oz heavy cream
- ⅓ cup pecorino cheese grated
- salt & white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it heavily.
- Shave 1/4 ounce of truffle into paper thin slices. A mandolin works well here if you don't have a truffle shaver.
- Heat a medium high-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt and then toast until just golden brown. Remove from heat to stop the browning.
- Use a microplane grater to grate the rest of your truffle (another 1/4 ounce) into the browned butter. Then put the pan back on very low heat. Once you see light bubbles pull from the heat again. Let the truffle steep in the butter.
- Cook the fresh pasta in the boiling water for 90 second to 2 minutes, until al dente (soft but with a tiny bit of chew.)
- Put your butter skillet back on very low heat. Add the pasta straight from the pot bringing along a some of the pasta water. Stir the pasta into the butter in a swirling motion. Slowly add the cream while swirling the pasta. And then add the cheese. Once the pasta sauce is smooth and emulsified. Remove from the heat.Taste. Add salt and white pepper as needed. Sprinkle each dish with shaved truffle slices.
Notes
- This will serve 4 smaller portions or 2 large portions—probably too large but you’re not going to mind.
- I used Kerrygold butter which is both delicious and well-named.
- I made my own fresh pasta using the recipe and tutorial at Serious Eats. It was relatively easy to to do. If you don’t want to make your own, find a high quality fresh pasta for this recipe.
- I highly recommend the Seattle Caviar company for your truffle. Mine friend sent my truffle from this shop. I also had the opportunity to visit in 2019 for a caviar tasting and they’re very nice there!
Things You Might Need For This Recipe
Fresh Black Truffle
Mandolin
Microplane Grater
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