Truffles are edible mushrooms that are considered valuable delicacies. They are distinguished by a spicy mushroom taste with nutty notes and a strong characteristic odor. Truffles are often used in the preparation of French cuisine. Real mushrooms are very expensive and are sold as a delicacy only in specialized stores and supermarkets. But few people know that, in addition to mushrooms, there is also truffle oil. We will tell you what it is, what its benefits are, where it is used and whether you can prepare it yourself in our article.

What is truffle oil?

Like the truffle itself, the oil prepared from it is an elite product, a real delicacy and is not much inferior in cost to fresh mushrooms. It can be prepared in two ways:

1. From natural truffles - by infusing any vegetable oil (usually high-quality olive oil) on natural truffles or residues after their processing.
2. Of the artificial components - in the production of this oil, the synthetic component 2,4-dithiapentane is used, which is the main aromatic component of truffles. This truffle oil has a fairly stable taste and aroma, like real mushrooms. Although in fact, natural truffles contain many more unique components that form a flavor and aromatic bouquet.

It is the second method of making oil that is widely used in industry.

Beneficial properties of truffle oil

Even in natural truffle oil, the percentage of mushrooms is so low that it will be quite difficult to sense their taste and aroma. All these qualities are revealed more during heat treatment and in combination with other products, helping to reimagine the taste of the finished dish in a new way. In addition, truffle oil has unique beneficial properties:

• prevents the formation of cancer cells and prevents premature aging due to the content of vitamin E, which is a natural antioxidant;
• helps improve the condition of hair and skin, the production of collagen and elastin;
• accelerates metabolic processes in the body and increases metabolism due to the content of B vitamins;
• prevents the development of pathologies in the fetus, therefore the use of oil is recommended at the planning stage of pregnancy and in its early stages;
• has a positive effect on the functioning of the nervous system, improves sleep, and prevents the negative effects of stress.

Uses of truffle oil

This oil will be an excellent addition to any dish. Its price is lower than that of natural mushrooms, which allows it to be used all year round. In addition, truffle oil has allowed chefs to significantly expand the list of dishes with the taste and aroma of truffle, without adding mushrooms to them. Oil is used sparingly. It is enough to add 1-2 drops to the dish so that it acquires a piquant smell. If you pour more, you can spoil its taste.

This oil is widely used in the preparation of pureed soups, pasta, risotto and pizza, dishes made from potatoes, legumes, meat and mushrooms. The ideal sauce for the salad is truffle oil, to which lemon juice, salt and black pepper are added to taste. It is recommended to add it to an already prepared dish, since it is not suitable for frying. Under the influence of high temperatures, its exquisite aroma is lost. In addition, using such expensive oil to fry meat or fish is quite expensive.

Homemade truffle oil recipe

To make your own aromatic and healthy oil, you will need only 2 ingredients: vegetable oil and truffle. Mushrooms are suitable both fresh and canned.

First you need to prepare a clean glass bottle with a tight lid. Then finely chop the truffle. If fresh mushroom is used, then it is pre-cleaned with a napkin. Sliced ​​mushrooms are smoothed into the bottom of the bottle and cold-pressed olive oil is poured on top. In a transparent, dark place, olive truffle oil will infuse for 2 weeks, after which it can be used for its intended purpose, adding to various dishes. After infusion, it is recommended to store the bottle in the refrigerator.

Truffle oil: price in Russia

As a rule, stores sell vegetable oil flavored with truffles or with pieces of mushrooms. The price per bottle depends on how it was prepared. The exception is made by unscrupulous buyers who indicate one information on the label, but the composition of the product is completely different.

So, the price of truffle oil in Moscow ranges from 260 rubles for a 125 ml bottle to 1000 rubles for a 250 ml container. In the first case, the manufacturer offers olive oil, which has been infused with the addition of black truffle. The content of the mushroom component in the oil is only 0.02%. The second option is olive oil with truffle pieces. It does not lend itself to heat treatment during cooking, so it retains maximum nutrients.

If you want to buy the most authentic and expensive truffle oil, be prepared to pay about 2,500 rubles for a 250 ml bottle. It will be difficult to find it in supermarkets, but in online stores the oil is sold in sufficient quantities.

Recipe for fried porcini mushrooms in truffle oil sauce

Fried porcini mushrooms in sauce can be served as a main dish with porridge, rice or pasta, or as a side dish for meat. In any case, it turns out tasty, satisfying and aromatic, and the dish takes literally half an hour to prepare.

To begin with, porcini or other wild mushrooms are boiled for 15 minutes. Then they are cut into small pieces. Heat olive oil (50 ml) in a frying pan along with a sage branch and garlic slices (3 cloves). Once the garlic changes color, it can be removed from the oil, just like the sage sprig. Mushrooms are placed in aromatic oil and stewed with the addition of chicken broth (50 ml) until cooked. The finished dish is placed on a plate and truffle oil (2 teaspoons) is poured on top. Additionally, you can prepare any side dish or meat.

I really love truffle oil. Many people think that this is olive oil infused with truffles, but in fact this is not entirely true. Stores most often sell oil to which the synthetic flavor 2,4-dithiapentane, also known as truffle sulfide, has been added: this is the substance that is responsible for that famous smell in truffles. But still, truffles smell a little different. If you extract this smell from a truffle, you need to make an essence, passing it through a machine like moonshine. Just imagine how much of this essence there will be. If you just add truffle to the oil and let it sit, nothing will come of it either: yes, a piece of mushroom will float, but the oil still won’t extract the strong smell.

Truffle oil, of course, is much cheaper than truffles, but it is also an expensive pleasure: the euro is now like in space. But, it’s true, you need to add very little oil, so the bottle lasts a long time. There is oil with the smell of white truffles, there is with the smell of black ones, and, as with real mushrooms, the first one is more expensive than the second. But it is also rich, giving a more explosive aroma, and oil with the smell of black truffles - its aroma and taste seem to creep. So one thing goes with some dishes, and another with others. Suppliers bring me different oils to try, and I choose what I need according to my taste; An important criterion: to smell as little as possible of olive oil itself. It's simple: if the aroma of truffles is not very pronounced, you will need to add too much oil to achieve the desired effect.

Truffle oil makes food more appetizing, it invigorates the dish with its aroma, complements and enhances its taste. Yes, this is such a win-win flavor enhancer: it is no coincidence that it is even forbidden to use it at many culinary competitions - the aroma hits your nose like a blow, and you can’t make out all the other little things and nuances. Especially if you abuse it - after all, I repeat, you only need one drop per plate. Well, two drops maximum.

I really love adding truffle oil to chicken soup - to the most ordinary chicken soup with carrots. Wing or Leg has Asian chicken wonton soup - I add it to that too; I spotted this in Hong Kong - a combination of Asian flavors with truffle oil. It works well with different cream soups - celery root, cauliflower soup. There is no point in dripping into borscht - this is a self-sufficient, bright soup.

It also transforms salads wonderfully - almost everything. Probably, it’s only not very suitable for salads with seafood, because it has an earthy and very strong smell, it produces slightly different songs. And for salads made from greens, with vegetables, with meat - please. But if you make a warm salad with fried squid and champignons, even though it contains seafood, truffle oil will help enhance the taste of the mushrooms. But you shouldn’t add it to a salad with mozzarella and tomatoes: then you won’t feel the cheese at all, there will only be tomatoes and butter.

It goes perfectly with vegetables. Take, for example, celery root - you can raw it, you can lightly bake it so that it dries, cut it, sprinkle with oil - and that’s all, that’s enough. The same artichokes are absolutely wonderful complemented with truffle oil. And in general it goes perfectly with potatoes - either with mashed potatoes or French fries (we make this with rosemary and Parmesan and serve it with burgers).

In a stew - suitable for stews with meat that are made with wine, for example. But you shouldn’t add truffle oil where tomatoes are used: one has a very strong taste, and the other has an equally strong taste - they will interfere with each other.

Fish has a delicate taste, less pronounced than meat, so if you add truffle oil to it, there will be no fish left, there will be only truffle. But with meat it’s great, for example with steaks: you can make a delicious pepper sauce for them using evaporated meat broth with truffle oil and coffee.

This oil does not go well with citrus fruits at all, they are too different things. Sauce with lemon juice and truffle oil - well, maybe, although if you want sourness, it’s better to make it with sherry rather than citrus: truffle needs a languid background, and not just sour water.

Yes, I was talking about seafood, and truffle oil really doesn’t really match it. For example, it will simply kill langoustines. But with scallops - with raw scallops, if you make carpaccio out of them, for example - oddly enough, it turns out quite well: you just need black truffle oil, which is more earthy.

Hello dear gourmets! Let's talk about "haute" cuisine. It is considered elitist, so not everyone will like it. Let's talk about truffle oil, which is made from the most expensive mushrooms.

Packaging: glass bottle with screw cap. The product is elite, which is why the bottle is small, only 125 ml.

The oil is light yellow in color with a green tint. There is sediment at the bottom, this is the truffle. When choosing an oil, you need to pay attention to the sediment, this is an indicator of quality. The sediment is proof that the oil contains truffles.

The base is, of course, olive oil.

Its 94%, and truffle 1%.

Grated truffles in oil, in the form of shavings.

Now let's gourmet.

I’ll say right away that when I tried it for the first time, the taste seemed rather unpleasant. I tried it in a store in Italy, they just poured butter on a piece of bread. In a salad, the taste of oil reveals itself in a completely different way.

The aroma of truffle oil is quite strong and not everyone will like it. The truffle has a very bright taste. Therefore, you only need to add a few drops to a salad or other dish. In this case, there is no need to add salt to the salad; the oil will balance the taste. It is best to add oil to vegetable salad; you can also add it to pasta. For example, Spaghetti Genoa style (). The taste is not as strong as the smell.

Truffles are dug out of the ground, so the taste contains notes of “chernozem”. There is also a hint of garlic. The taste of the oil is unusual, but interesting and pleasant.

Truffle oil will transform even a simple vegetable salad, making it royally exquisite.

Also, lovers of unusual tastes will like:

Blueberry muffin in the form of a chocolate bar ().

Chocolate with sea salt and almonds ().

Truffles are delicious and very expensive mushrooms, especially popular in France and used in the traditional cuisine of this country. Not everyone knows that truffle oil exists. Is it useful? And how to choose it?

What is this product?

Truffle oil is a noble and rather expensive product, if, of course, it is natural. But, unfortunately, it is very difficult to find truly high-quality products, since unscrupulous manufacturers deceive consumers and add aromatic additives to ordinary vegetable oils that have the characteristic smell of delicious mushrooms. A genuine product may contain a small percentage of real truffle oil or be infused with them (or processing residues). One way or another, the share of mushrooms themselves in the composition is negligible.

If you think that you can taste the taste of truffles in oil, you are very mistaken. Even if the composition contains these mushrooms, they certainly will not fully convey their qualities. The only thing you can count on is a pleasant light earthy aroma.

Is truffle oil healthy?

Since there are very few truffles themselves and their components in the composition, the benefits of the vegetable oil itself are more accessible.

Useful properties of truffle oil:

• It is rich in vitamin E, and it is, first of all, a powerful natural antioxidant. This means that tocopherol neutralizes the adverse effects of free radicals, which can lead to cell degeneration and the development of cancer, as well as premature aging of tissues and their oxidation.
• The vitamin E described above is also very beneficial for the skin, because it provides it with complete nutrition and intense hydration.
• It also contains B vitamins, which perform many important functions. Thus, they take part in most metabolic processes occurring in the body, such as lipid, water-salt, water-electrolyte, carbohydrate and others. And this means that by consuming oil in moderation, you can normalize your overall metabolism.
• B vitamins are necessary to stabilize and improve the functioning of the nervous system, as they promote the restoration of nerve fibers and cells, improve sleep, and prevent the negative effects of stress.
• Truffle oil is useful to use during pregnancy and at the planning stage, as it ensures the harmonious development of the unborn child and significantly reduces the risks of developing fetal pathologies, such as disorders of the formation of the neural tube.
• The same vitamin E will help put hormonal levels in order, especially women’s. In addition, it has a positive effect on fertility, that is, it increases the chances of successfully conceiving and bearing a healthy child.
• If you use this oil in cosmetology, it will help provide nutrition and hydration to the skin, as well as stimulate the synthesis of elastin and collagen, restoring elasticity, youth and freshness.

Advice: do not consume oil in excessive quantities, and not only because of its high cost. Remember that the calorie content of 100 grams of the product reaches 700-800 calories, so it definitely cannot be called dietary and light.

How to use this product?

How to use truffle oil? First of all, it is used in cooking. But it’s worth remembering that natural truffles lose most of their amazing properties during heat treatment, so you definitely shouldn’t fry them in this oil.

To complement and transform a dish with this delicious addition, add it at the final stages of cooking or almost before serving. Try experimenting with meat, fish, side dishes, pasta, appetizers. Truffle oil also makes an excellent dressing for any salad.

Truffle oil can also be used in cosmetology. For example, try replacing regular vegetable oil with it when preparing various masks. It will also be a useful addition to a cream or other product. Or you can apply it to the skin in its pure form, this is also very useful. And this oil is almost universal, as it has a positive effect on the skin of the hands, face and whole body, and on the hair, and even on the nails.

How to make your own butter?

You can make your own truffle oil. Here's what you'll need for this:

• 500-600 ml of vegetable oil (preferably olive);
• a tablespoon of truffles (both fresh and canned are suitable).

Preparation:

1. If you have a fresh truffle, you should wipe it with a napkin to remove dirt. Next, cut it into thin slices. Simply chop the canned truffle finely with a knife.
2. Prepare a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Place the chopped truffle in it and fill it with oil.
3. Close the container tightly and put it in a cool and preferably dark place.
4. Leave the oil for a week, or better yet, two. Strain it if desired, but this is not necessary.
5. Ready!

• With the help of truffle oil, you can change, supplement and transform almost any recipe: any dish with such an additive will acquire an exquisite, pleasant aroma and a light, interesting taste.
• If you want to choose natural oil, then pay attention to the bottom of the bottle, which may contain sediment or pieces of truffles.
• Study the composition carefully. If it contains truffles or truffle oil, this is a natural product.

If you get a chance to try truffle oil, you will be able to appreciate its aroma and interesting taste.

Truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world, which is worth trying at least once in your life!

Truffle has such a strong and exciting aroma that it is added to the dish literally by gram. Restaurant masterpieces with truffles are not cheap at all, but the high price is not a reason to deny yourself gastronomic pleasure. Use truffle oil! Moscow chefs shared with the site recipes for dishes in which this valuable ingredient plays the leading role.

Spinach salad with truffle dressing

Recipe by Sergey Batukova, chef of the Valenok restaurant

Ingredients:

Spinach - 50 g

Cherry tomatoes - 100 g

Fresh champignons - 10 g

Grated Parmesan - 10 g

Balsamic cream - 5 g

Ingredients for truffle dressing (25 ml):

Sugar - 15 g

Lemon juice - 200 ml

Olive oil - 80 ml

Truffle oil - 50 ml

Preparation

Whisk olive and truffle oil, sugar, lemon juice until smooth. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Along with the spinach, season them with truffle sauce. Cut the champignons into slices, grate the parmesan. Place spinach with cherry tomatoes on a plate, top with champignons and grated Parmesan, top with balsamic cream.

Recipe by Jun Kondo, chef at Fumisawa Sushi

Ingredients:

Yellowtail - 60 g

Bell pepper - 15 g

Japanese ponzu chili sauce - 30 ml

Cucumber - 5 g

Truffle oil - 3 ml

Preparation

Cut the yellowtail into thin slices (7 pieces) and place on a plate. Pour over Japanese ponzu chili sauce. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips and place on yellowtail slices, sprinkle with finely chopped cucumber. Drizzle the dish with truffle oil.

Truffle pizza

Recipe by Christian Lorenzini, chef at BUONO restaurant

Ingredients:

Soft wheat flour - 200 g

Mineral water - 100 ml

Salt - 10 g

Olive oil - 15 ml

Fresh yeast - 3 g

Fresh white truffle - 10 g

Sugar - ½ teaspoon

Black truffle paste - 80 g

Cream 33% - 10 ml

Garlic - 1 clove

Truffle oil - 2-3 ml

Mozzarella cheese - 150 g

Preparation

Sift the flour, pour it onto the table, and make a well in the center. Put yeast, sugar, a little flour into sparkling mineral water and mix thoroughly. Let stand for 20–30 minutes. Pour the resulting mixture into the flour, knead the dough thoroughly until smooth, add olive oil while kneading. Form the resulting dough into a ball, cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Then divide the dough into portions of 150–200 g and leave for another hour. The dough can also be frozen.

Prepare the sauce. Place black and white truffles, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a deep bowl. Beat with a blender until smooth. Roll out the dough from one portion into a circle with a diameter of about 35 cm. Place 100 g of sauce in the center of the pizza, spread mozzarella, cut into pieces, over the pizza. Bake at 320-350 degrees. Get it