Truffles galore at two markets this weekend

The rare black truffles

Truffle hunting dogs will be put through their paces, and there will be cookery demonstrations, entertainment, a local produce market and truffles of all shapes and sizes on sale for the gourmets.

The 2009 season has been a difficult one, with most truffle growing regions in France suffering from the very dry summer. However, those areas that did get storms in the Alpes-Maritimes have produced a good quality harvest and the cream of the crop will be on show. You can expect to pay no more than 80 euros per 100 grams, much less than during the Christmas period when prices peaked at 140 euros – that’s a mere 1,400 euros a kilo.

Although the truffle season can run from September to May, January is the busiest month for the sale of this pungent smelling delicacy. Still classed as one of the world’s most expensive natural foods, truffles are found growing underground at the base of trees, particularly oaks. They are harvested with the help of female pigs or truffle dogs who sniff them out, although dogs are favoured as pigs tend to be too greedy!

The flavour is directly linked to the aroma – the smellier the better, and the fresher the truffle, the more taste it is likely to have. Truffles can be frozen in a glass jar, or in oil, but if they are left for too long they will completely lose their flavour.

How to use them

The classic backdrops for the intense flavour of this fungal delicacy are scrambled eggs, potatoes, risotto, pasta, polenta and simple salads. The trick is not to over-cook them or to incorporate them into a dish that has too many competing flavours. The simplest method is to shave or grate slivers of truffle into the recipe at the last moment, a few minutes before the end of the cooking process so that they heat through and have time to infuse. If you put the truffles into an airtight container with some raw eggs for 24 to 48 hours, the aroma will permeate them thoroughly before you scramble them. CL