Rose's Christmas Shop Watch: Truffle products
Truffle products
Forman & Field
What?
Truffle Hunter series
Why?
A truffle trove
Of all the luxury foods, truffles are my favourite. That deep earthy smell, that flavour that is both indefinable and yet so distinctive. As far as I’m concerned you can keep caviar, lobster and foie gras if you give me truffles. I love them so much I make a pilgrimage to Piedmonte in Italy every year just to go to one meal in one restaurant to eat the white truffles of the region (but what a meal!).
Now whilst truffles are not exactly easy to come by in the UK, and this year their price, even in Italy, is beyond imagination, you can still get a taste of them. Which is why I was delighted to find the Truffle Hunter section on the Forman & Field website. There is minced black truffle, oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, butter, and mayonnaise. Some are made from black truffles and some from the more highly prized white truffle. Enough to make this Christmas the most luxurious you have ever had. And in the interests of research I have experimented with all of them so you can incorporate them into your Christmas.
I started with the minced black truffle which I slid under the skin of a turkey the night before I cooked it, so the meat became infused with the truffle flavour, and I then made a stuffing of chopped cooked chestnut mushrooms, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, lemon zest, a beaten egg, seasoning and a good splash of the truffle oil. Then cooked both as normal.
I tried the truffle mustard with a gammon joint, both served hot and cold, and I know it will go perfectly with all the cold cuts after Christmas (and also think sausage rolls and Scotch eggs). I drizzled the truffle honey over some lovely Italian pecorino cheese but it would go equally well with Parmesan or the Spanish Manchego – the truffle flavour perfectly counterbalancing the sweetness of the honey.
The truffle mayonnaise makes THE most wonderful cold turkey sandwiches, so you may want to take this into account and order a slightly bigger turkey just to have leftovers.
I then cooked a simple dish of fresh tagliatelle with the truffle butter with a view to serving it on Christmas Eve. And tried the truffle balsamic vinegar in one of my favourite recipes for dinner parties, which is pepper-crusted fillet of beef with balsamic onions and thyme (but omit the Worcester sauce in this instance) with the intention of making this my centrepiece for New Year’s Eve.
To find all these wonderful goodies go to the Forman & Field website, click on Delicatessen, then Sauces, Chutneys and Preserves, then onto Truffle Hunter - or just use our easy link below. You will also find some suggestions of other ways of using each of the products. Every one of them also makes a perfect present.
Conclusion:
A truffled Christmas
Product Details:
Truffle Hunter
Black Truffle Mustard 180g £4.95
White Truffle Balsamic Vinegar 100ml £9.50
Black Truffle Mayonnaise 180g £6.95
Black Truffle Butter 100g £6.95
White Truffle Oil 250ml £12.50
Minced Black Truffle 80g £15.95
White Truffle Honey 100ml £9.50
Contact:
Forman & Field
Availability and price as at 30th November 2017