Climate change threatens black truffle with extinction

Climate change threatens black truffle with extinction

The black truffle, prized by Michelin chefs as one of the world’s foremost delicacies, is being threatened by extinction as climate change wreaks havoc on its habitat in the hills of Aragón, northern Spain.

With harvest under way, farmers in this highly secretive market — where the fragrant fungi can reach sell for up to €900 a kilo — are pessimistic about the future of their “black gold”.

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“In the last five years I have lost 90 per cent of my production because there is no longer enough rain in the summer,” said Paco, a farmer who laments the disappearance of the boom years. Like many other truffle producers he declines to use his real name during a tour of his land.

An estimated 85

Stock Up: Three affordable ways to enjoy truffles

Truffle dust from Farmers & Fishermen

Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors, a home delivery service, offers a range of products — from everyday staples to luxury items, such as wagyu beef and wild game. Everything is restaurant quality, and all items are available for free delivery. Fresh truffles definitely are a luxury item, but truffle dust is a surprisingly affordable way to bring truffle favor to anything that needs a little umami boost. Truffle dust is a mixed condiment, incorporating salt, carob, and truffle and mushroom extract, among other things, but it definitely carries that truffle “punch” — just having the jar around is enough to perfume your entire kitchen. You can use truffle dust as a seasoning for steaks, or mix it into the meat for your burgers, stir it into risotto, sprinkle it into your scrambled eggs or add it to sauteed mushrooms. You just need to use a little bit of it to add a lot of flavor.

$9.95 per 1.74-ounce shaker jar. Available at farmersandfishermen.com. Delivery available in metro Atlanta, Athens and Macon.

Caption Truffle fauxmage from Taste of Seasons. Courtesy of Taste of Seasons Credit: Handout Caption Truffle fauxmage from Taste of Seasons. Courtesy of Taste of Seasons Credit: Handout Credit: Handout

Truffle fauxmage from Taste of Seasons

La Crémerie’s truffle fauxmage is so delicious that it will convert your friends who are absolutely certain they never would like an artisanal, vegan cheese that is made without dairy. Creamy, tangy and rich with truffle oil, it hits all the right notes. Spread it on flatbread, use it as a dip with tiny leaves of Belgian endive for an impressive crudité, or use it as a creamy sauce for pasta. We shared it with friends, who had no trouble polishing off our container and wished it had come in a much bigger size.

$6.90 per 7-ounce container of cashew cream cheese with truffle oil. Available at the Morningside and Grant Park farmers markets, and at taste-of-seasons.com.

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Why Truffles Don’t Taste Like Truffle Oil

Why Truffles Don’t Taste Like Truffle Oil

If you’ve ever wondered how your neighborhood bar can afford to have truffle fries on their menu, the short answer is they can’t. Well, they can’t afford real truffles, but they can afford to sprinkle truffle oil on there.

Truffles are difficult to source and come at a high price point, so in the 1970s, food scientists attempted to artificially replicate the flavor in the form of a chemical called 2,4-dithiapentane (via Reader’s Digest). This chemical gives truffle oil and other truffle products its flavor, so if you’ve only had truffle oil, you’ve never tasted a real truffle.

If you’ve watched food competition shows, you probably associate truffle oil with the judges freaking out when a contestant reaches for it, and they do so for good reason. On “MasterChef” (via TastingTable), Gordon Ramsay scolded a competitor for using truffle oil and said it’s “one of the most pungent, ridiculous ingredients ever known to a chef.” The pungent flavor of truffle oil is now widely associated with real truffles, which is understandable because of the misleading nature of its name — but to chefs, it’s a disservice to the natural ingredient.

Strawberry Truffles

The beginning of a new year often has us all feeling like starting off fresh by taking on better habits, getting rid of old ones, and—most commonly—changing up our look. While others are hitting the squats and going into the salon for a pixie cut, why not start slow and steady with a cozy winter manicure in a color that feels new to you? It takes only a little courage to step outside your usual OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or Essie Bordeaux, which is all you need to kick 2022 off on a fanciful foot. From new wintry takes on classic dark nail colors to unique pops of color that’ll have you feeling the opposite of boring, these are the best nail colors to try this January and tick off all the way into spring.

My parmesan truffle Hasselback potato skillet — Thank me later

I am always thinking of new ways to cook my favorite food items to spice them up a bit or rejuvenate their flavor.

Often, I get a really great idea, but then never get around to testing it out in the kitchen.

Thankfully I found the time earlier this week to test out a new recipe, and it may be my new favorite dish.

First of all, Hasselback: Whether it’s salami or potatoes, hotdogs or anything else, there is no more delicious way to create grooves and crevices through which your dish will be marinated and flavor-infused than with the fan-like slices of the Hasselback method of slicing.

As the kids like to say, IYKYK (If you know you know). If not, Google it. It’s easy once you get the hang of it.

Now: Truffles.

My kids often make fun of me, saying that they should call the truffle police on me, since I will put truffles, truffle zest, truffle oil, or truffle salt in and on almost everything I make.

After all, I ask you, what dish is not a little better with a dash of that fragrant, umami taste in it?

Here is how to make the most perfect parmesan truffle Hasselback skillet potatoes.

To make these potatoes you will need:

4-5 medium sized potatoes

3 cloves of garlic chopped

⅓ onion thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

The first thing you want to do is boil your potatoes and oil up your skillet. I added a little salt and pepper to the bottom so every inch of the potatoes had flavor.

I then placed the skillet in the oven, which I preheated to 425 degrees so that the bottom of the skillet would cook the potatoes nicely.

While your skillet heats up, remove the boiled potatoes from your stove to cool.

Cut the ends off of your potatoes and begin slicing them about ¾ of the way through, making sure not to cut to the bottom.

When the potatoes are sliced, line them up in the pan and begin placing your thinly sliced onions in the potato crevices.

I then added the slices of garlic in the remaining areas, and a drizzle of truffle oil, salt, and pepper before placing in the oven.

The potatoes need about 45 minutes to an hour to cook depending on how crispy you like them. When they are golden brown, remove them from the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and more truffle oil if you’d like.

These are seriously so delicious and you can customize them any way you like!

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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