Easy Lemon Truffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to prepare a truffle? ›

Typically, truffles are thinly shaved on top of a cooked meal but if you grate them on a Microplane instead, the fine shavings incorporate better with the dish. Truffles are commonly used in pasta dishes, risotto, sauces, or grated over seafood or meat.

I love Baker's or Ghirardelli brands. If you want to splurge, Scharffen Berger is exceptional! Semi-sweet or dark chocolate make a very intense chocolate truffle and milk chocolate yields a sweeter truffle. If using milk chocolate, reduce the cream to 1/2 cup as milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate.

If the mixture is getting too soft, put it in the fridge or freezer and let it firm up before continuing.

For this reason, it's rare to actually cook truffles. Instead, it's typical to shave them thinly over the top of hot, cooked food before serving, letting the warmth of the food activate the flavors and aromas. This is especially true of white truffles.

Truffles are a fungus that grows underground at or near the base of trees known as host trees, but not all trees are suitable places for truffles to grow. Typically host trees include poplar, beech, and oak trees. Truffle fungi grow worldwide in many different varieties.

Truffles are known for their earthy, umami-rich flavor and heady, musky aroma. Their flavor is sometimes compared to mushrooms, although truffles are more intense and complex in taste and far more fragrant. The exact profile varies by variety, season and quality, incorporating nutty, garlicky or floral notes.

Use tempered chocolate to get a professional snappy and shiny coating, which stays hard without refrigeration. Avoid swirling the truffles in chocolate.

Truffles are extremely pungent, and for this reason should never be cooked as your main ingredient, but rather as a powerful accent. A modest handful of grated or shaved truffle can pack a surprisingly strong punch.

Carefully lower each truffle into the bowl of melted, tempered chocolate. Make sure it's fully coated, then gently shake off the excess chocolate. This is where your dipping tool comes in handy. Once done, place the truffle onto the lined tray.

Pound for pound, truffle is one of the most expensive foods you can buy. The reason behind such high costs is the scarcity of the produce, truffles are seasonal, extremely difficult to grow, and take many years to cultivate. They also have a short shelf life.

How long do homemade truffles last? ›

Homemade truffles can last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and for up to 6 months in the freezer. For the best texture and flavor, bring them to room temperature before serving. Even if you're planning on gifting your chocolate truffles, be sure to store them in the fridge or freezer.

If your ganache isn't firm enough to scoop into balls, you can chill it in the fridge to harden. Or, whip it very briefly until the color just begins to lighten—about 30 seconds on medium-low with a hand mixer. Let it set again and it will firm up. I've found this method especially helpful with white chocolate.

The fruity, slightly bitter taste of olives and olive oil beautifully complements the umami-rich flavor of truffles. Drizzle truffle-infused olive oil over an olive tapenade for an extra depth of flavor.

Full-fat coconut milk or a blend of coconut milk and coconut cream are an ideal substitute for heavy cream. The truffles in this photo are made from canned coconut milk; I recommend choosing a brand that is in a container that doesn't contain BPA.

Truffles should be eaten at the peak of ripeness (unripe truffles are not so flavourful). Black truffles are peeled and can be used raw or lightly cooked, while white truffles are just carefully wiped and cleaned and should never be cooked.

To eat truffles by themselves, you can simply slice them thinly and enjoy them as is, or you can shave them over a dish to enhance its flavor.

Keep it simple. Slice or shave over some cooked like risotto or pasta and you're done. They should never be mixed with any ingredient high in acidity, which would cause the flavour of the truffle to subside. Let the truffle work its magic, and always add at the end of the preparation.