
One ingredient, six ways, six weeks a year
The Truffle Table
White truffle from late October to December, black from December to March. A menu built so the truffle lands on warm, fatty, quiet food and nothing competes with it.
Preparation
What happens when
- Two days aheadOrder the truffle by weight and origin, confirm the delivery day.
- The day beforePasta dough made, stock reduced, cheese brought to room temperature in a cool place.
- The dayTruffle brushed, never washed, kept in rice paper in a cool box, weighed and shaved at the table only.
Service
How to serve it
Shave at the table, over the plate, in front of each guest. Warm plates, warm food, a shaver that is sharp, and a set weight per guest so the last guest gets the same as the first: 5 to 8 g of white truffle a head is generous, 10 to 15 g of black.
At home
Tagliolini with butter and truffle for six
The one dish worth buying truffle for. It takes twelve minutes and everything depends on the pasta and the butter.
- Pasta: 400 g 00 flour with 4 whole eggs and 6 yolks, kneaded ten minutes, rested an hour, rolled thin and cut into tagliolini.
- Warm 120 g of the best butter in a wide pan with three tablespoons of pasta water until it emulsifies. No garlic, no herbs, no pepper.
- Cook the pasta ninety seconds, drain, toss in the butter with 40 g grated parmesan.
- Plate onto warm plates, shave 5 to 8 g truffle per person at the table, serve immediately.
Editor’s tip: Buy less truffle of better quality. A small quantity of a fragrant tuber beats twice as much of a tired one, and the difference is audible in the room.
Plan it
Quantities and timing
How much to buy
Quantity Calculator
Guest count, service style and menu shape turned into a shopping list in kilos, litres and pieces.
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Menu Composer
Build a menu course by course and see the balance: weight, technique, temperature, colour, repetition, oven conflicts and a wine suggestion for each course..
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Service Timeline
A backwards plan from the minute your first course leaves the kitchen: crew arrival, prep, table setting, briefing, doors, courses, speeches, coffee and strike..
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Where this menu belongs
Format
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Where it eats best
Market
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No city hires out a kitchen brigade faster.
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