From a truffled salad of mixed chicories and pickled walnuts to savory truffle bread pudding, about a dozen of Oxbow’s vendors put forth innovative bites of truffle-laced cuisine.

One of my favorites (and a standout to most of the participants I polled) was La Crepe’s freshly made crepe with truffle cream garnished with a truffle shaving. A lightly sweet crepe combine with with the decadence of an unsweetened cream made the perfect final bite to conclude a weekend filled with Napa wine wishes and truffle dreams.

Today the Truffle Festival was hosted by the Robert Mondavi Winery. The day began with a cooking demo by the incredibly dynamic and charming Chef Suzette Gresham of Acquerello restaurant in San Francisco. In addition to teaching us how to make a carpaccio, (a perfect dish for showcasing the delicate, earthy flavor of truffles), Suzette demonstrated the method for making her complex Truffle-Scented Guinea Hen.

She was joined by Mondavi Chef Jeff Mosher, who dashed out of the kitchen long enough to explain the day’s wine pairings, imparting his intimate knowledge of the Mondavi wines’ individual characteristics.

Of course, the star of the day’s class and five-course luncheon was truffles. These truffles, (all of them):

The night began with elegant passed appetizers–one from each chef–including a truffle croque madame, uni canape with truffle, Artisan fois gras with tawny port and truffle and “Vitello Battuto” with truffled Parmesan cream. The decadent morsels were paired with Roederer Anderson Valley Brut poured from magnums.

The dinner which followed featured six truffle-laced courses, (and yes, this includes dessert!):

first course

inspired by Chef Marco Gubbiotti of La Basta]iglia, Italy and prepared by host chef Ken Frank of La Toque (Chef Gubbiotti, who was originally scheduled to cook in the flesh was unable to travel due to illness)

Raviolo di Tartufo (translated: a ravioli bursting with a whipped potato mixture and surprise of soft cooked egg yolk all topped with a blanket of black truffle)

Paired with 2003 Miner Wild Yeast Chardonnay

the second course

by Chef Michael Cimarusti of Providence, Los Angeles

John Dory Wrapped in Pork Belly and Crispy Feuille de Brique with Truffled Sunchoke and Smoked Lobster Butter

Paired with 2008 Fernand-Vergelesses, Les Pins, Domaine Doudet

the third course

by Chef Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia, Chicago

Bone Marrow “Creme Caramel” with Mushroom Jam and Sauce Perigord

Paired with 2000 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Pinot Noir, Special Cuvee, Vandal Vineyard

the fourth course

by Chef Suzette Gresham-Tognetti of Acquerello, San Francisco

Ridged Pasta with Fois Gras Scented with Black Truffles and Marsala

Paired with 2004 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant

the fifth course

by Chef Ken Frank of La Toque, Napa

Slow Roasted Veal Tenderloin Stuffed with Fresh Black Truffle

2006 Barolo, Cannubi Bochis, Virna

the sixth course

by Chef Deborah Yee-Henen of La Toque, Napa

Black Truffle Ice Cream “en Rocher”

To be economically viable, you need to start out with an orchard of saplings (that have been inoculated with the truffle organism). The best host trees are oak and filbert. Yes, you can inoculate mature trees but it is not as effective-you’ll get a much smaller yield than starting with an orchard of saplings.

Truffles are cultivated successfully in a wide variety of climates, (from Napa to Tennessee). But there are only 3 species readily cultivated and have commercial value:

1. Black Winter (Perigord) Truffle

2. Burgundy Truffle

3. Bianchetto Truffle

(Sadly, Italian white truffles cannot–or at least have not yet–been successfully cultivated.)

The best climates for Perigord Truffles are Mediterranean. They do need warmth, light and free-draining soil with a high pH (7.9). (American Truffle Company works with their clients to ensure proper growing conditions before planting and, of course, maintaining the proper conditions as the orchard matures.)

The Burgundy Truffle thrives in cooler regions (like Canada and Scandinavia) and grow well in high density. They are tolerant to a wide variety of soil types. They’re quicker to fruit than Perigord Truffles but their price per lb is lower.

The Bianchetto likes sandy soil and works in a variety of climates.

In climates with little to no summer rain, American Truffle Company works to figure out water requirements, so depending on the geographical region, irrigation may be required for optimal yields.

Orchards should be organic and fertilizer free to produce the best truffles. And a good size for a truffle orchard is 3-5 acres. (American Truffle Company has planted smaller orchards but Robert recommends something in this range.)

Unfortunately, you cannot use land that was formerly forest.

Plan on 4-5 years from planting before you’ll have truffles on your table.

I know there are still skeptics out there when the topic of truffle cultivation comes up. And, of course taste is the issue. Can you taste the difference between cultivated and wild? In response, I’ll ask another question: Did you know that 90% of France’s truffles are cultivated?

Today is a day loaded with truffles and I’m anxious to get back to the festivities but I’ll be back with more later.

Today, its generally accepted that a large part of their allure is their rarity. Technically fungi with a symbiotic relationship to certain tree roots, truffles are only found in a handful of places around the world. And although their scent can be one of the most alluring aphrodisiacs to the human sense of smell (more on that later), our noses are not good enough to detect these culinary delectables growing underground. That is why we’ve employed pigs or dogs for centuries to help us in the search and discovery of truffles. And it also helps explain their hefty price tag.

Although dogs must be trained to seek out the rare treats, female pigs are natural truffle hunters. You see, the scent of truffles is extremely similar to a male (both pig and human) pheromone. This is the reason modern science believes truffles are so successful as an aphrodisiac.

And let us not forget that truffles are among the world’s most healthy indulgences. The scientific community is yet to weigh in on whether or not their high concentration of protein, (needed for sustained energy if you know what I mean) and amino acids lends to truffles aphrodisiac attributes. But clearly, their nutritional makeup doesn’t hurt their potential to make the heart (and a few other things) flutter.

Those of us who have been so fortunate to taste the earthy, subtle, and slightly exotic notes of truffle may feel there’s more to the allure than simply a scent or a bit of protein. And trust me, as an aphrodisiac foods authority, I hear a surprisingly large number of unsolicited, firsthand accounts of romantic encounters involving truffles. But its not just lusty Americans with a passion for sharing too much information that have filed away such observations. Some great figures from European history would likely agree. Napoleon, for one, ate truffles to increase his masculine potency.

Like Napoleon, Europe’s great gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin became one of truffles’ greatest proponents. On the subject, Savarin is quoted as saying: “Truffle. As soon as the word is spoken, it awakens lustful and erotic memories among the skirt-wearing sex and erotic and lustful memories among the beard-wearing sex. This honorable parallelism comes not only from the fact that this esteemed tuber is delicious, but also because it is still believed to bring about potency, the exercise of which brings sweet pleasure.”

Throughout history, truffles, both black and white, have been dubbed everything from the “diamonds of cookery” to the “testicles of the earth.” But I believe it is the caution of an old proverb that best represents truffles’ aphrodisiac appeal throughout the ages, “Those who wish to live virtuous lives should abstain from truffles.”

Oxbow is the location of the Truffle Festival Marketplace on Monday, January 16. Its also one of my favorite spots in Napa. The Public Market was developed by one of the masterminds behind San Francisco’s divine Ferry Building. A true celebration of both the town and valley of Napa, the Oxbow concept is to offer the highest quality of local, sustainable foods in an atmosphere that’s reflective of its environment. The management at Oxbow is cooperative, helping to bring merchants, farmers and the community at large closer.

Oxbow’s merchants are a mouthwatering collective of chocolatiers, butchers, bakers, vintners, chefs and grocers. I have tasted the goods of about half of the market’s stalls so far and have never tasted a single bite that was less than sublime, (truly!)

For the Truffle Marketplace, purveyors will be pulling out all the stops to show off for guests with truffle-laced riches. C Casa, one of my favorite dining stalls, will be making truffle egg tacos. In addition to offering a cooking demo, The Kitchen Door will prepare a salad with pickled walnuts, persimmon and truffle vinaigrette. Model Bakery will offer fresh baked bread filled with truffles. Annettes, which makes some of the most pure of flavor, well-balanced chocolate confections I’ve ever tasted will showcase truffles of the melt-in-your-mouth variety. Oxbow Cheese Merchants will showcase truffle-laced cheeses. Fatted Calf will do truffled pate. Eight wineries will be in attendance to pour their best truffle-pairing wines. I’ve only scratched the surface of the day’s activities but you can see how it makes the perfect introduction to Oxbow, or a decadent day off for those who are already fans. (You can find full details at http://napatrufflefestival.com/marketplace/.)

Tickets to the Truffle Marketplace are the Truffle Festival’s bargain at only $25 for the culinary experience of $40 for the full experience including wines. Tickets are still available at http://napatrufflefestival.eventbrite.com/.

It all came to light with the New York Times article “Hocus-Pocus, and a Beaker of Truffles” which exposed inexpensive truffle oils as, essentially, cheap knockoffs. Ever since then, chefs (including many who had previously happily doused their cuisine with the stuff) and most food media have turned up their noses at all liquid truffle essence.

I am writing this post to help clear up a little of the controversy and let you know that there are great products out there that can give you a little taste of truffle at home.

To understand genuine truffle oil, its important to understand the “Beaker of Truffles” the New York Times exposed. Many commercial truffle oils are made by combining olive oil with aromatic molecules manufactured in a laboratory. If you compare one of these oils with the aroma of a fresh truffle, you will immediately notice the difference. A truffle is much more subtle, delicate. Yet the taste of these manufactured truffle oils is similar enough that it fooled great chefs for years. And even now, great chefs, including Chicago’s Grant Achatz, still use a drop or two on occasion to enhance the flavor of truffle dishes.

If you enjoy the flavor of these truffle imitators, then I say knock yourself out! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enhancing your food with a flavor you enjoy. (I’m not shy about drizzling a little on a well-salted pile of French fries!) Just don’t confuse it with the taste of real truffles, one of the greatest food experiences in the world.

There are a few honorable products on the market that make truffle oil with genuine truffles. They’re more expensive oils and their flavors are much more subtle than what you might expect. But there truffle notes are complex and like no other flavor sensation on earth. Check the bottle’s ingredients for one that lists oil and truffles as the ingredients like Chef Jack Czarnecki’s Oregon Truffle Oil. Terms such as “natural truffle flavoring” or “truffle essence” are a giveaway that what you’re holding was made in a beaker.

The best way, of course, is to experience truffles in their natural state. Which is why, if you haven’t already, you should get your tickets to the 2012 Truffle Festival before its too late!

In short, I’m Amy Reiley, a food and wine journalist with about 15 years of experience writing for print and online publications. That means I remember the good old days when magazines reigned supreme and blogs were just a twinkle in a Silicon Valley eye. I also have a Masters Degree in Gastronomy from Le Cordon Bleu and I’m the founder of a boutique cookbook publishing company, Life of Reiley. (That means I also remember the pre-ebook publishing world!)

But I also have one special qualification that probably led to my posting as the voice of this year’s festivities: I am considered a leading, American authority on aphrodisiac foods. And Perigord truffles? Well, they are among the world’s most potent aphrodisiacs! As my blogs unfold, I hope to introduce you to all the facets of truffle sensuality as well as documenting the experience of this one-of-a-kind celebration of the culinary world’s black gold.