Simply Truffles, a book review

November 21st, 2011 · No Comments

Simply Truffles:
Recipes and stories that capture the essence of the black diamond
A review by Ryan Boudreaux

The book by celebrated journalist, author and teacher Patricia Wells who also runs a cooking school in Paris and Provence, and when she is not teaching, she can be found searching for the prized black truffle. Drawing upon twenty-five years of hands-on research in Provence, which is considered the modern world’s capital of the black truffle, Wells offers sixty well-tested recipes that capture the truffle’s exceptional and complex flavor. For any truffle connoisseurs, this book is for you!

Patricia is not new to writing cookbooks, this is her twelfth venture into the printed page, and this edition does not disappoint. The book is a solid hardback edition with 207 pages including spectacular photos, and a forward by Joel Robuchon, along with the recipes utilizing the prized ingredient including chapters covering appetizers, salads, soups, eggs and cheese, pasta, rice, and grains, fish, shellfish, poultry, vegetables, and bread. Published by William Morrow, the book lists for $27.99 USA, or is available from Amazon.com as well.

This is a great slide show which highlights several of the recipes from the cookbook.

From the Pasta, Rice, and Grains chapter on pages 114 – 177 I will share the recipe for Goat Cheese Cannelloni with Morels and Truffles, which Wells says is a popular creation in her home and is an updated version of one which she sampled years ago at the Hotel Lancaster in Paris. She uses what is known as her all purpose truffle sauce with morel mushrooms, and is a good dish for entertaining. The pasta and the sauce can be prepared several hours in advance and warmed up for just 20 minutes before serving, making for a perfect party or entertaining treat.

Goat Cheese Cannelloni with Morels and Truffles

Goat Cheese Cannelloni with Morels and Truffles

Equipment
Dampened cheesecloth; a 10-quart pasta pot fitted with a colander, four 6-inch porcelain gratin dishes, a baking sheet.

Ingredients
6	Ounces	Fresh goat’s milk cheese
2	Large	Ultra-fresh eggs, organic or free range, room temperature, lightly beaten
2	Lemons	Zested, preferably organic
		Fine sea salt
1½	Ounces	Dried morel mushrooms
1	12″ sq.	Fresh pasta sheet (2 ½ ounces)
3	Tbsp	Coarse sea salt
½	Cup	Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½	Cup	Truffle, Morel, and Cream sauce (page 192)
1	Fresh	Black truffle (1 ounce, cleaned)

Procedure
1.	Place the cheese on a large plate. Cover it with the eggs and lemon zest. Mash with a fork until the mixture has a thick, smooth consistency. Taste for seasoning. (The filling can be prepared up to 4 hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated.)
2.	Place the morels in a colander and rinse well under cold running water to rid them of any grit. Transfer them to a heatproof 1-quart measuring cup or bowl. Pour 2 cups of the hottest possible tap water over the mushrooms. Set aside for 20 minutes to plump them up.
3.	Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. (180° C)
4.	With a slotted spoon, carefully remove the mushrooms from the liquid, leaving behind any grit that may have fallen to the bottom.
5.	Place the dampened cheesecloth in a colander set over a large bowl. Carefully spoon the morel soaking liquid into the colander, leaving behind any grit at the bottom of the measuring cup. (The liquid can be used to prepare the Truffle, Morel, and Cream Sauce.)
6.	Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Arrange 3 large kitchen towels on the counter, for draining the pasta.
7.	Cut the sheet of pasta into sixteen 3-inch squares.
8.	Fill the pasta pot with 8 quarts of water and bring it to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the coarse salt. Drop in as many squares of pasta as will comfortably float in the water. Cook for about 30 seconds, removing the squares with a slotted spoon while still very al dente. Transfer them to the ice water. Once all the squares are cooked, swish them around in the ice water, then transfer them with a slotted spoon to the kitchen towels, arranging them in a single layer.
9.	Place the grating dishes side by side on a baking dish.
10.	Lift a square of pasta off the towel and turn it over. (This helps ensure that the pasta does not stick to the towel as the cannelloni are prepared. With a small spoon, spread about 2 teaspoons of the filling evenly along the bottom third of the square. Do not fill all the way to the edges, or the filling may leak. Carefully roll the pasta – jelly-roll fashion – into a cylinder and place it in a gratin dish, seam side down. Prepare the remaining cannelloni, arranging 4 rolled cannelloni side by side in each gratin dish. Sprinkle with the cheese.
11.	Cover each gratin dish securely with foil, to prevent the pasta from drying out as it cooks. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook until the cannelloni are bubbling, about 20 minutes.
12.	While the pasta cooks, prepare the truffle. With a vegetable peeler, peel the truffle. Mince the truffle peelings for another se. Cur the truffle into thick slices, then into matchsticks.
13.	Remove from the oven, then remove the foil, and garnish each serving with the morels and several tablespoons of the sauce. Garnish with truffle matchsticks. Serve.

Note: To infuse the eggs with truffle aroma and flavor, store a whole fresh truffle and the eggs (in their shells) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 days and up to 1 week.

Truffle, Morel, and Cream Sauce

Equipment: A fine-mesh sieve.

Ingredients
1	Cup	Morel soaking liquid
½	Cup	Truffle juice
1	Cup	Heavy Cream

Procedure
1.	In a large saucepan, reduce the mushroom liquid, uncovered, over high heat by half, about 10 minutes.
2.	Add the truffle juice and cream to the saucepan. Reduce, uncovered, over high heat by half, about 15 minutes.
3.	Pour through the sieve into a bowl. (Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.) Reheat at serving time.