Chef Ken Frank’s Culinary Truffle Advice

January 17, 2015 /

The 2015 Truffle Festival started off with Ken Frank, owner and executive chef of Michelin starred La Toque, gave a talk on how to use truffles. He’s a passionate truffle ambassador whose straight talk sorts the truths from the myths. Here are his truffle tips.

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1. Freshness: Use truffles quickly. They lose their perfume quickly and the sooner you use it, the more flavor it will have.

2. Store with eggs, not rice. Eggs absorb the flavor as the truffle off gases. It’s not stealing flavor. Rice absorbs moisture, not flavor.

3. Don’t fall for fake truffle products. Truffle oil and salt get their flavor from a chemical compound. It will stain your palate, tastes bad, and ruins the real truffle experience. He says, “Give truffle oil to your enemies.”

4. Avoid spicy and acidic foods. Rather, infuse fats like cheese or put under chicken skin. They give a sweet earthy flavor to creams and custards. Proteins, like egg yolks or fatty fish like salmon also absorbs the flavor well.

5. Go Big or Go Home. Don’t have a scrap or a bit of truffle. Really celebrate the season and let them blow your mind.

6. Let the truffle shine and be the star of the show.