Dining

GRAFVISION/ISTOCK/GETTY Black truffles, prized for their rich earthy, nutty flavor

—DINING—

Going Wild for Truffles

What was long a European delicacy is the new darling of American chefs and foodies. by Michelle Meyers and Robin Strober INSPIRATIONS

Truffle fries at the Napa Truffle Festival

ONE OF the world’s most prized delicacies, the Périgord truffle is the black diamond of the culinary universe. This elusive, finicky fungus grows underground in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots and is harvested by dogs attracted to its pungent aroma. When one thinks of truffles, France and Italy come to mind. But the U.S. has joined this $6 billion global truffle operation, cultivating European truffles domestically.

Coveted by world-renowned chefs and next-level foodies, this rare mushroom often fetches a whopping $1,000 a pound—and can demand even more if it’s grown in the U.S. Why? “Because of its hyper-freshness and the uniformity of the truffle flavor and aroma,” says Robert Chang, managing director of the American Truffle Company®. “The truffle has a half-life of five days.” While an imported truffle takes five to seven days from field to fork, “a North American truffle can be overnighted,” he says. That’s a considerable advantage.

Because European black truffles are not indigenous to North America and conventional farming methods have a high failure rate, Chang and other producers are using a more scientific method to cultivate them. Host trees like hazelnuts and oaks are inoculated with truffle spores to encourage growth. Harvesting these delicacies

Crostini with black truffles and chives

“Truffles should come with a little marvel and admiration.”

—Michael Anthony

can take five to 10 years, and the odds of success are still a gamble because American growing methods are so different from those of Europe, notes Brian Upchurch, North American Truffle Growers Association president and owner of Carolina Truffières.

PET PROJECT

Historically, pigs were used to sniff out truffles, but today specially trained dogs like the Lagotto Romagnolo breed ace the job. Alana McGee, founder of the Seattle-based Truffle Dog Company, says “any dog can do it recreationally. We work with everything from Chihuahuas to Great Danes.” McGee, who trains dogs for commercial harvests, notes that “it takes two to three years to properly train a dog to a professional level.” (McGee also has a culinary tourism business that takes people on Pacific Northwest wild truffle-hunting adventures.)

Vineyards and wineries are getting in on the truffle action, especially in places like Sonoma County, where the land, soil, and infrastructure lend themselves to truffle growing. “Everywhere red wine grapes are grown tends to have a climate suitable for black truffles,” explains Charles Lefevre, Ph.D., and founder of New World Truffieres Inc., specializing in European truffle cultivation. For the home cook, procuring local “black gold” is a challenge, but the annual Napa and Oregon truffle festivals are good places to sample them.

SIMPLE, SUBLIME

Gramercy Tavern executive chef and James Beard Award winner Michael Anthony has worked with black truffles since he was a young cook in France. “I was always amazed at the mystique and dangerous nature of selling something so precious,” he says. But it wasn’t until he cooked at NYC’s Daniel restaurant that he encountered the powerful white Italian truffle. “It’s one of the most exciting things I can remember. Extremely luxurious.”

In terms of cooking, “truffles beg for foods that are soft and monotone in flavor. You’re able to showcase their power by serving them with things like eggs, potatoes, or pasta,” Anthony says. “The foods become a backdrop for the incredible aromatics of the truffles.” A flavor profile of Italian origin forever etched in Anthony’s memory is the combo of truffles, garlic, anchovy, herbs, and brown butter basted over a roasted piece of beef. “I’ve tasted truffles in many different French utilizations...but this is what you do when you want to impress.” While truffles can be thinly sliced and served raw, “they become really explosive when gently heated.”

Acclaimed 18th-century food writer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin called truffles “the very diamond of gastronomy.” And like diamonds, delicacies as rare and decadent as truffles should be reserved for special occasions in Anthony’s opinion. “Because they grow in very short supply in nature, it seems to me that they should be used infrequently,” he says. “Truffles should come with a little marvel and admiration.”

Chef Michael Anthony

Rigatoni with black truffles, ricotta, and fresh-grated parmesan