Weekend Herb Blogging #107

Weekend Herb Blogging returns home this week where Kalyn will be hosting and I thought it most apt that I share this rather special ingredient - Umbrian White Truffles



If you follow the Eat blog you'll have seen that we're currently in Umbria attending a truffle festival - as if Slow Cheese, Gusto Balsamico and Eurochocolate wasn't enough!

I'll be honest and say the truffles this year are a lot smaller than we experienced two years ago and there weren't quite as many either. But when you can walk through the streets and smell truffle in the air, that is indeed, a very good thing.

We have indulged and treated ourselves to a White Truffle, as much as black truffles are very nice, the white truffle is something unique. It is its aroma that truly entices you and we've been known to just sit in front of our white truffle risotto just breathing it all in for a few minutes before even thinking of tasting it.

When choosing a white truffle it will be its aroma that will lead to find the best. After a good deal of searching and sniffing we finally had enough information to select our truffle.



It was wrapped and then sealed in order to keep the aroma contained.

When it came to taking photos, Paalo quickly volunteered to do the hand modelling for me.



It still has some dirt attached to it, but with a little brush, it can be cleaned away to reveal its white skin



I should add that this truffle hails from Gubbio, here in Umbria - if you watch Don Matteo, you'll know exactly where that is.



Of course, if you have a truffle, you need a truffle slicer!

So what am I going to do with this truffle? Unlike a black that does take to cooking, a white should be served shaved over the dish where the heat of the dish reacts with the truffle to heighten its flavour and aroma.

And for our gathering of four here in Umbria, we're celebrating the last day of the festival with Scrambled Eggs and White Truffle for breakfast!



Scrambled Eggs with White Truffle
[Serves 4]

6 eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
milk
4 thick slices of bread
1 White truffle

I used Altamura bread from the festival - the first bread in Europe to gain DOP status, it is made using natural yeasts. The thick slices where lightly butter and then toasted in a skillet over a medium heat.

The scrambled eggs are a simple mix of eggs, salt, pepper and milk, cooked in a good quantity of butter, constantly stirred they are removed from the heat as they first start to show signs of setting.

The eggs are served over the warm pieces of toast and then it's time to start shaving the truffle - speed is important as you don't want to lose any of that heat of the eggs.



Serve immediately and breath deeply!




Tagged with Weekend Herb Blogging