Truffle Salt and Truffle Butter

By Chef Andrew On June 8, 2011 · In recipes

I’m about to ruin your day. The $30 bottle of truffle oil you’ve got in the pantry almost certainly contains no truffles. No extract, juice, shavings or any other molecule that was once a truffle growing in the dirt. Rather you’ve got a bottle of olive oil infused with dithiapentane,the compound primarily responsible for truffle aroma, derived either naturally or from petroleum. Delicious!

Truffle salt and truffle butter are currently the best way to enjoy both the aroma and flavor of black or white truffles. You can purchase both from online stores like D’Artagnan or, if you are bold and pure of heart, make your own.

Breaking down your truffles. I had four small, fresh black truffles as well as a can of black truffles in “truffle juice.” I’ve used the canned truffles at restaurants before- they’re not really your best option but is fine for salt or butter. I should mention that all of these truffles were gifts, leftover props from a reality cooking show.

Ideally a microplane or other grater/shaver is the best way to go for bits of truffles in nice yellow butter. My truffles had started to get a little moist, despite being packed in dry risotto and resisted this method so I drained the can and threw everything in the food processor, pulsing until they were in nice size little bits.

When all was said and done I had about 3/4 or so of truffle…paste? I removed all but about 2 tablespoons and slowly pulsed in kosher and large sea salt until I had mixture that was dry and mostly salty- it took 2 cups of salt to get there.

I made a poor choice brought on by laziness in making the truffle butter. The canned truffles still had a lot of juice, which already would have thrown off the creamy yellow color of my delicious fancy butter but instead of mixing room temp butter and truffle by hand or with the paddle attachment of the Kitchen-Aid (both options would have required more things to wash) I threw the butter and truffles back into the food processor. The result was delicious (I left a little truffle salt in the bottom for flavor and to help the butter keep) but as I said before came out a color I dubbed “confederate gray”.

I start each day with a cup of coffe and a big bowl of truffle salt

Recipes:

Truffle Salt

2 cups kosher or sea salt, large crystals are best
2 tablespoons truffle shavings/paste

Pulse everything in the food processor until well incorporated. Store refrigerated in plastic containers or in a cool pantry.

Truffle butter

1/2 – 3/4 cup truffle shavings/paste
24 – 36 oz quality butter, room temperature

Just as easy as the truffle salt. When the butter is warm enough to mix by hand gently stir or use the Kitchen-Aid paddle attachment to incorporate. Add a sprinkle of salt if you used unsalted butter. Store in plastic containers or form into 1/4 lb butter stick size tubes and wrap in parchment or butcher paper, twisting the ends in a pleasing manner. Truffle butter should keep about month in the fridge and several months in the freezer.