All about truffles

MILLIE:

On my second day in Paris, I already chanced upon the Maison de la Truffe on 19, Place de la Madeleine, and I promised myself I would go there for a meal. It was so close to where I was staying and a stone’s throw from the Madeleine Church, which was a daily stopover for me.

Fascinated with truffles, I came for lunch alone as my friend was in a business meeting. As one enters the rather small truffle specialty shop with a 40-seater dining area, one smells the beautiful aroma of truffles! The retail area sells their specialty products in bottles, jars, and unique packages offering truffle oil and preserves, pastas, terrines and foie gras.

The sales lady at the counter was very pleasant and accommodating, patiently answering all my questions…in French, of course! It was wonderful to be speaking in French again!

I learned that it was a family-owned business that has been in existence since 1932. Yup! Older than The Aristocrat.

The restaurant’s interiors are gray and the only accents are blown up photos of truffles — different kinds! Clients were mostly male businessmen with the exception of a few ladies like myself, out for a yummy lunch. Servers are all male, garbed in white shirts with beige aprons with black piping.

Delicious Brie with black truffles for the connoisseur

A quick scan of the menu immediately whetted my appetite and I wished I were not alone so I could taste whatever my companions were eating! But alas, I was. So I pretended I was eating everything on the menu: raviolis with summer truffles in truffled cream; tagliatelles with foie gras and truffle of the season; risotto with lobster and truffle of the season; confit of duck with truffle of the season; fillets of sole emulsion with black truffle; scallops with truffled chestnuts; beef tartare ala masion de truffe; and fillet of beef Rossini with truffle sauce. There’s even with cheese — Brie with black truffle and truffled fresh goat’s cheese.

I ordered tagliatelle a la truffe de saison. Simple but wow! It was prepared with a creamy sauce with generous shavings of fresh black truffles. Magnifique! I did not order anything else. It was everything I could have wished and hoped for. This is complete happiness.

KARLA: In the 19th century, truffle production rose up to 2,000 tons. Records of truffles go way back to Greek and Roman antiquity. But lately, truffles seem to have become so popular. This is probably because of the rise of truffle oil. Truffle oil is a more economical and practical substitute to real truffles. It is mostly olive oil with artificial flavoring. The real truffles are so expensive since they grow below the ground under the roots of truffle trees like oak, hazel, linden, hornbeam, etc. The real truffles are found by truffle hogs, female hogs who naturally find the scent because it has compounds of male boar’s saliva which it is attracted to and truffle dogs that are trained to recognize the scent.

Contrary to what most people think, there are many kinds of truffles, not just black and white. Some of them are named because of their natural season, and some are named based on where that specific species is found. The two most common are the black truffle and white truffle. The black truffle or la truffe noir is also named Perigord, which is a region in France where it is found. Its season is usually December to March and is busiest in the month of January. It is also called The Black Diamond of French gastronomy because it is one of the most sought- after species. The white truffle or la truffe blanche d’Alba is also named the Piemont truffle. It was my Lolo Joe’s favorite. It is more aromatic than the black truffle, which means you tend to use less and makes it more expensive. This truffle gives off a scent of garlic or shallot. It is found in northern Italy and is in season during October to December. For food and wine pairing, it is suggested to have red wine with black truffle dishes and champagne with white truffle dishes. Sweet and rose wines should be avoided to fully appreciate the essence of the truffles.

The other kinds of truffles are la truffe de Burgogne, la truffe brumale and la truffe d’Ete. La truffe de Bourgogne or Burgundy truffle is also called the gray truffle. It’s season is from September to January and is called Burgundy because it grows first and foremost in Italy, but it grows also in Burgundy, Champagne, Lorraine and Franche-Comte. La truffle brumale or the winter truffle is also called the musky truffle and its season is from end of December to the beginning of March. La truffle d’ete or summer truffle is also called the truffe of St. John. The season begins in May and ends in August. It is paler in color and has less aroma.

The famed black truffle in its raw state

MILLIE: After a superb and not-so-heavy lunch, a cup of espresso was in order and as I walked out of the restaurant, just a few steps away, I saw Hediard, a French food specialty store offering cold delicatessen items like hams, salami, smoked salmon, caviar, foie gras, cheeses, and truffles, of course! In another counter, it showcased handmade chocolates and pralines, fruit preserves and, my favorite, marrons glacees or glazed chestnuts. I could not resist. In yet another section was a wine cellar, coffee corner, bottled Hediard jams and preserves in its signature red and black packaging. There were also Hediard cookies and biscuits in unique and attractive tins and boxes.

Seeing all that glorious food, I pondered about what I could do with all that free time on my hands. Originally, I was supposed to go to Italy but my friends from the Hotel School of Lausanne were coming to meet me in Paris. I’m not used to just lazing around so I thought I’d do what Julia Child did in Paris — take cooking lessons! Next week’s column will be about everything you wanted to know about foie gras and a peek into world-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse’s cooking school in Paris. Bon appetit!

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Fan mail from Paris:

Dear Millie,

I was so happy to fall upon your article about your recent visit to Paris and to see that you mentioned our church and not just as a tourist attraction, but as a place of faith and prayer. If another time you visit Paris and wish to eat like the Parisians do, think about visiting the Foyer de la Madeleine, which is below the church and open for lunch during weekdays. Simple French food, three courses and quite reasonable.

We can’t compete with Fauchon or Hediard, which share the Place de la Madeleine but a great place to meet real Parisians and after lunch there are often free concerts in the church.

Thanks for the mention.

Fr. Brien

M. l’Abbé Brien Mc Carthy

vicaire

Eglise de la Madeleine

14 rue de Surène

75008 Paris

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