And, on the heels of yesterday's entry about truffle-infused goodies, today's NY Times Dining In, Dining Out section features a story about the difficulty of obtaining truffles at present and the high cost imposed upon those who wish to induge:
Mr. Romagnolo tries to keep up, while giving the dog barely audible commands. After an hour's search, Diana begins to dig vigorously at a slender poplar. Mr. Romagnolo rushes over, nudges Diana aside, rests his flashlight on the ground and begins to excavate gently, like an archaeologist in the sands of Egypt, searching the earth for a prize fungus.
Five minutes of digging finally produces a disappointing reward, a white truffle that weighs perhaps a quarter of an ounce: too small to sell and barely enough to garnish a small plate of pasta.
Mr. Romagnolo gives Diana a biscuit, and then the two are off again on their search, in what locals say is the worst white truffle season since 1947.
So, with all this truffle-ing media madness, I just can't understand why no one is pushing a Thankgiving turkey made with truffles. It does seem the year for it, don't you think?
Guess I'll have to remedy the situation. Here's a recipe for Braised Truffled Turkey, courtesy of James Beard:
Braised Truffled Turkey
8 to 10 pound turkey
Truffles, as many as possible, fresh if available
2 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 pounds ground veal
8 shallots
Butter
Salt, pepper to taste
3/4 cup cognac
2 cups fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsley
3 carrots, cut in fine julienne
3 leeks, cut in fine julienne
3 stalks celery, cut in fine julienne
White wine
Beurre mani
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