Truffle oil

[foodscience]

I am very interested in trying to incorporate a little truffle oil into a few dishes. I have two questions:

1) does brand matter, does anyone have any comments of different brands?

2) What the different situations for white or black truffle oil?

can anyone offer some help?

Thanks.

[Livethemoment]

1. Brand matters for sure - Trader Joe's is pretty diluted.
2. I prefer white truffles in any situation. It seems to go best with foods that are white.

[iheartgrittytacoma]

1. Trust me the brand matters! I have picked up some pretty crappy truffle oils at gourmet purveyors and was sorely dissapointed! Other than going straight to the source I have a very reliable brand that I buy up at Pike Street Market in Seattle at a place called La Buona Tavola Truffle Cafe their website is www.Trufflecafe.com. Very high quality and a lot goes a long way! They also have other black and white truffle products that you can order that might interest you as well.

2. As far as applications for truffle products there are a ton! I will use white truffle oil with pastas, white sauces, on pizza, mashed potatoes, eggs, quiches, fish, poultry, and cream based soups. Black truffle oil has a "meatier" flavor and I pair it with beef, heavier pastas, and bread salads.

[hasday1]

Give truffle salt a whirl. I think it has a much more intense truffly aroma and I think you get more aroma for your money, too. Use it on all the same things mentioned above - eggs, asparagus, mushrooms, split pea soup...

[pitterpatter]

I drizzle white truffle oil onto Risotto Milanese (with saffron and porcini mushrooms), any mushroom/pasta dish, and for the middle of the week, when I'm too tired to cook, instant polenta or scrambled eggs. It's also good in mashed potatoes. And this is not a suggestion, but I sometimes pour it onto cottage cheese for breakfast -- wierd, I know. I'm not fond of black truffle oil.

Also considering trying truffle butter from the freezer case of some better stores -- but not the stuff in jars -- too pricey and not as good. I put the butter under the skin of poultry before roasting it, and melt it onto roasted potatoes and carrots.

[nrxchef]

I use 2 different brands--very good truffle oil for special dishes and Trader Joe's White Truffle for everyday dishes. My every day use is primarily in a simple bruschetta: toast a few slices of Italian pane di casa (round, boule-shaped bread). While the bread is still really hot, scrape with half a cut garlic clove--2 or 3 passes is enough. The irregular bread surface will act as a grater, and the redidual heat in the bread will cook the garlic and prevent that raw garlic acridity. Shave some pecorino romano or parmgiano reggiano over toasts with a veg peeler, drizzle generously with truffle oill and finish with a few grates of the peppermill. Delicious! And very easy.

[pitu]

There's been a few good threads about truffle oil
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/289971
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/337531
and there might well be others

I've had the good stuff (and have no hope to have it again other than trips to Italy, or friend's trips to Italy) on asparagus, and on pasta with mushrooms and leeks.
I've made due with the cheap stuff from Trader Joe's, again to enhance mushroom pasta dishes, in mashed potatoes, in the Zuni onion panade
(long story, available here http://www.chowhound.com/topics/355989 )

[MMRuth]

It's lovely on toasted bread with melted fontina cheese and mushrooms. Add a poached egg if you feel like it.

[mrbunsrocks]

I have white truffle oil and I have used it in two different dishes....

1) In a cream sauce with sweet italian sausage, garlic and parmesan (to DIE for).
2) In sweet potato purée with roasted garlic.

I've never had black truffle oil, but am interested in finding out more....