Truffles

New World Fungus



The other day I was surfing the ‘Net and ran across a reference to Oregon truffles that caught my eye. Oregon truffles? I’d never heard of such a thing so I started tracking them down. I expected to find something with the same sort of relationship to real truffles as mountain oysters have to real oysters. I was wrong. It turns out that, although they aren’t the same species found in Italy or France, they are indeed real members of the truffle family – specifically leucangium carthusiana.

I found several sources, but a fellow named Daniel Wheeler in Portland, Oregon seemed to be the best regarded. So I ordered some and they arrived last Wednesday.

I’ve never had European truffles, so I don’t know how these stack up to the fungus of legend. A number of the articles I read compared the Oregonian variety quite favorably to the European – but I can’t personally confirm that. What I can say is that these truffles have a somewhat sharp odor and flavor. Something closer in kind, if not particular, to an excellent aged cheese than to any of the mushrooms I’ve eaten.

For my first sampling, I fixed truffled scrambled eggs Wednesday evening. They were very good, not what I expected, but intriguing enough to further whet my curiosity as well as my appetite.

Sunday was my parents 57th wedding anniversary and I had promised to cook for them, so I decided to include the truffles and went recipe hunting. I found two dishes that fit the meal.

The first was an amuse bouche. Slices of truffle are arranged in the bottom of a small buttered ramekin, then very thin slices of parmesan are layered on top. The ramekins are baked until the cheese melts and then served. There were only a couple of bites in each ramekin, but the phenomenal richness of these bites guaranteed that the tastes were plenty.

The second recipe was for mashed sweet potatoes with bourbon and truffles. This dish was a real surprise. It turned out the bourbon and truffle were perfect complements and the sweet potatoes were an excellent background for those two potent flavors. My mother, who isn’t particularly fond of sweet potatoes, was particularly taken with the dish.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Truffles and Bourbon
(This recipe is adapted from a dish served at Emeril's Restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana.)

3 lbs sweet potatoes
1/4 c butter, melted
1 small black truffle, chopped
2 to 3 tsp black or white truffle oil
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c bourbon whiskey

Heat oven to 350F. Bake the sweet potatoes for approximately 60 to 90 minutes or until tender; remove from oven. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or ricer (do not use your electric mixer) until they're smooth and free of chunks.

Add melted butter, optional chopped truffle, corn syrup, salt, and bourbon. Mix thoroughly to blend.

Pour into a baking dish and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.