Black truffles are a delight for those who appreciate fine food from a fancy Italian salt table. Served with Italian bread and butter, they're an excellent way to incorporate Italy's culinary delights into your own cooking. They're made using the best black truffle salt available, and their distinctive bitter flavor makes them a delightful alternative to regular salt. Popular since the 15th century, black truffles are available today in stores and online, and a recipe for homemade truffles can be found by searching on the Internet. Most recipes call for vegetable oil, and though some do call for vegetable fat, which contains fewer calories, any substitution should be made for oil. Most recipes for this salty treat involve oil as the main ingredient, however, if you're not using it, here are three reasons why you might try a homemade recipe with vegetable oil instead.
Uses: A surprisingly delicious accompaniment for pasta, egg dishes, and other meat-based dishes; the deep, earthy flavor of black truffle salt works wonderfully with almost any flavor combination. Ingredients: Unrefined, dry sea salt, natural flavors. These flavors can be used as seasonings for sausage, pasta, salads, vegetable dishes, and more. Since the salt has a slightly bitter flavor, it pairs perfectly with the meat and cheese characteristic of the cheese.
Aroma: Earthy and yet not cheesy at all, black truffle sea salt is very rich in both aroma and flavor. A slight citrus odor is present on the back of the salt, but it has no aftertaste. As with many dark herbs, the earthy scent of the salt fades quickly when it is exposed to air. This salt also has a very unique, complex aroma that some find quite tasty. Some consider it to be exotic.
Flavor: Earthy, with a hint of sweetness. It has a light flavor, but one that is quite enjoyable. The lightness of the flavor makes it suitable for adding to a wide variety of recipes, from salty to sweet to savory to spicy. A good rule of thumb for determining the amount of black truffle you need is to look at the amount of flavor you want the salt to have and make sure that your dish is well balanced to support the herb's presence.
The actual taste of the salt varies from person to person. In general, however, black truffle salt has a somewhat salty taste, but with a slight undertone of nutty overtones. The flavor can vary between dark and light, depending on the quality of the actual salt. If you are looking for a flavor that is not typical, look for organic varieties that will have less of an artificial flavor. A good rule of thumb is to pay slightly more for organic salts because they tend to be less expensive and therefore have better quality.
Aroma: All black truffles have a rich, distinctive smell that is unmistakable. It is buttery and musky, almost like an oily after-dinner scent. It has a distinct, complex aroma that is almost flowery. It is often the dominant aroma in a dish, and the dominant aroma is often the most intense, causing the food to become seductive and inviting. Because of its unique smell, it is often used as a flavoring or a primary aroma in a dish.
Finish: Perhaps the best aspect of black truffle sea salt is its unique finish. Because it is black, it naturally imparts a dry, sharp, salty feeling on the palate. It finishes the dish off wonderfully with a burst of buttery flavor from the butter and the slightly salted air. This finishing salt offers an almost piquant sensation on the tongue and can be a welcome change from more buttery flavors, such as butter, chocolate, or caramel. This finishing salt also imparts a distinct woodsy "old-world" feeling to the dish, which is quite lovely when paired with aged cheeses or smoked meats.
These characteristics make this type of sea salt a very versatile ingredient, which allows chefs to use it in a multitude of different ways. They can serve it as a table salt on their baked potatoes, add it to vegetable dishes (such as vegetable scrambled eggs), or as a popular ingredient in smoked salmon. A lot of restaurants use it to season their Italian black truffles, as well as for making smoked salmon. Since it is available in a wide variety of colors (there are over 60 different ones to choose from), it's also perfect for use in many different settings, allowing chefs to creatively come up with new ways to use it.
