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![]() A Bread Fit For a KingHome >> Recipes
Text-only version printed fromhttp://FXcuisine.com/default.asp?Display=131 Stuffing a bread with white truffles is not cheap, but boy is that good! Happy he who can afford it said my book when describing this dish. And indeed, despite its utter simplicity, this is one expensive dish. It uses the single most expensive ingredient you can use in a kitchen - the truffle. I always found that when cooking truffles at home, simpler dish are the safest. It is just too easy to spoil a truffle. I managed to get my hands on a white truffle and decided to go native and stuff a bread loaf with it. Good white truffles are nearly impossible to find these days, and they cost more than designer drugs anway. But humor me and let me take you through a moment of poetry. Truffle-stuffed Bread Loaf
To honor this truffle you need proper bread. Here is one of my favorite loaves, a local sourdough baked in a stone oven with amazing taste and just the right size. Decapitate the loaf with a serrated knife. Finely chop the shallot. Brush your truffle and wipe it clean with a wet towel. Do not wash or the meter will start running as delicate molecules of truffle taste are washed away in the sewers! Finely slice the truffle, using a knife or a truffle mandoline. Combine the shallot with white balsamic vinegar and grapeseeds oil. You don't want to ruin the truffle's extraordinary taste with a boisterous oil like olive oil. Gently add the truffle shavings and combine. Season with an inkling of a freshly crushed white pepper and sprinkle fleur de sel (hand harvested sea salt crystals) over it. Remove enough crumb for the divine truffle mixture to fit in cosily. Cover the loaf with the top you had removed and bake in a medium-hot oven for about 10 minutes. Not too long, we are only trying to warm up the bread and its contents. If friends worthy of the expense of this dish are hard to come by, do not hesitate to eat it alone. Slice through the bread, sprinkle with a little more salt and serve. A bread fit for a king indeed! 175118 views |
7 Comments
- #1
- Comment by Art Cox
Wow! I am absolutely salivating at that last photo. Beautiful!You have my favorite food blog by far. Thanks!- #2
- Comment by ariun
"If friends worthy of the expense of this dish are hard to come by, do not hesitate to eat it alone."An absolute gem of a line! This is why I love your blog. :)- #3
- Answered by fx
Ah, yes, expensive dishes are difficult to serve. Friends might be worthy but then wonder about the occasion or be wary of inviting you again by fear of not being up to standards. Much better to eat the truffle alone when in doubt.- #4
- Answered by fx
Arthur thank you for your comment! I personally guarantee that just looking at the picture does not increase risks of heart diseases. Hope to see you around!- #5
- Comment by Clive Costa-Correa
François, you know my love affair with truffles. I tried this out yesterday with a rustic Portuguese 'pao' and it was divine. I didn't have fleur de sel to hand so I used the Algarve equivalent, sparingly as it's quite robust. This was a test run for a Christmas dinner starter; only thing is will the rest of the meal live up to it?- #6
- Answered by fx
Clive, amazing that you tried my humble recipe and that it worked for you! Having appraised your qualities as a cook first-hand I have no doubt the rest was just as fine. Happy Christmas from the land of your ancestors!- #7
- Comment by Sarah
Hey FX,Thanks again for your beautiful blog! I just bought my first white Alba truffle as a present for a chef friend. It was a fortune, but worth it to see the look on his face.I love this line of yours: If friends worthy of the expense of this dish are hard to come by, do not hesitate to eat it alone.It made me think of one of my favorite quotes from the Buddhist classic, the Dhammapada:"If you find a friend who is good, wise, and loving, walk with him all the way and overcome all dangers.If you cannot find a friend who is good, wise, and loving, walk alone, like a king who has renounced his kingdom or an elephant roaming at will in the forest. It is better to be alone than to live with the immature. Be contented, and walk alone like an elephant roaming in the forest." Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with friends worthy of truffles...Sarah