Sauce Loves… Truffle Season
Whilst most people are bemoaning the arrival of colder weather, shorter days and darker mornings, here at Sauce we’re excited because with the start of Autumn comes the start of truffle season! If truffle-hunting isn’t for you then fear not, we’ve collated a round-up of all the best places in London you can get your favourite fungi fix without having to face the great outdoors.
The Game Bird
The renowned Truffle Chicken Kiev is reason alone to visit The Game Bird at The Stafford London. Oozing with luxurious truffle butter and served alongside velvety pomme purée, this dish created by Executive Chef James Durrant is comfort food at its most sophisticated.
www.thestaffordlondon.com/the-game-bird/
Please note: Truffle Chicken Kiev recipe available upon request.
Sartoria
In celebration of truffle season, Francesco Mazzei and his team at Sartoria have created an entire menu dedicated to the white truffle. From 9 October, guests will be able to enjoy Beef battuta with sage and white truffle; Tagliolini cacio e pepe with white truffle and Risotto Grana Padano Riserva and white truffle. For those seeking something sweeter look out for the Zabaglione con tartufo bianco; a truffle-infused take on the traditional Italian dessert.
Tom’s Kitchen
Truffle-lovers who have not yet discovered the signature Truffle Eggs Benedict at Tom’s Kitchen are in for a treat! This decadent take on a brunch classic is lathered with truffle hollandaise and topped with crispy parma ham. It can be enjoyed for breakfast and brunch across the Tom’s Kitchen restaurants in Chelsea, Canary Wharf, St Katharine Docks, Somerset House, and Birmingham.
Please note: Truffle Eggs Benedict recipe available upon request.
Margot
It is common knowledge that Italians love their truffles and the team at Margot in Covent Garden are no exception. From the second week of October the restaurant will be launching an exclusive white truffle menu, which will see the star ingredient added to dishes such as Scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms, Tagliolini, and Risotto.
Kitchen Theory
© Heloise Faure 2015
Jozef Youssef is chef and founder of Gastrophysics Chef’s Table at Kitchen Theory, an experimental dining experience which explores the fascinating world of Sensory Gastronomy. Jozef has examined the reasons behind our love for the hard to find, unreliable, almost impossible to cultivate and relatively lacking in nutrients ingredient that is the truffle. Speaking on truffles, Jozef comments:
It’s taste (in terms of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) is relatively subtly, and the texture is neither remarkable or transformational when added to a dish. So, what is it?
Several years ago, the great chef Ferran Adria based a whole course on simply serving a few precious slices of truffle in a wine glass so as to allow dinners to indulge and focus on the most pronounced sensory enjoyment of what truffle has to offer; its aroma.
Given that the team at Kitchen Theory and I are fascinated by how food is appreciated via our senses, ingredients like truffle are of most interest! Current research in the field of Multisensory Flavour Perception (aka; Gastrophysics) indicates that up to 80% (or more) of what we perceive as flavour is derived from our sense of smell (test this by pinching your nose and eating a jelly bean, you can’t tell the flavour). This is perhaps a reason that many ‘low quality’ truffle oils rely on giving the right aromatic kick to satisfy consumers. The aroma of truffle has nostalgic and status related emotional connection, which has come to be associated with rich and luxurious gastronomic indulgence.
So, for this truffle season be mindful of enjoying this rarest of ingredients with the right sense, and make sure to inhale!
Blanchette Soho and Blanchette Brick Lane
To celebrate truffle season, modern French bistro Blanchette Soho will be serving up a delicious Dry-aged beef fillet with summer vegetables vinaigrette and fresh truffle (£14.95), while its little sister Blanchette Brick Lane will be showcasing the signature Pork fillet with truffle and cauliflower puree (£9.50).
Little Social
This truffle season, in addition to their already hugely successful B.C. Burger, Little Social will be adding a truffle burger to the menu. With a patty made up of three cuts of beef, the burger is then topped with smoked cheddar, smoked streaky bacon and Little Social’s special burger sauce before Australian truffle is shaved atop. The burger is served with hand-cut chips and a green salad.
Thomas’s Café at Burberry
Full of flavour, the Sutton Hoo chicken salad at Thomas’s Café mixes truffle and hazelnut pesto, leeks, capers, runner beans, globe artichokes and fresh oak leaf to create an unforgettable dish. Thomas’s Café at Burberry uses only the finest seasonal produce from small farms and artisan suppliers from around the UK. Sutton Hoo chickens were selected for this dish because of the traditional rearing methods used. The birds are free range, and slowly reared, resulting in a succulent meat, delicious juices and irresistibly crispy skin. Called “redoubtable” by Fay Maschler, it’s a salad not to be missed.
https://uk.burberry.com/stores/thomass-cafe
Temple & Sons
Temple & Sons, situated adjacent to the iconic Tower 42 is the second partnership for Jason Atherton with Restaurant Associates. The menu is a celebration of British produce, peppered with a few nostalgia trips along the way including the Game & Truffle Sausage Roll with creamy mash and HP gravy designed by executive Chef, Paul Walsh. www.templeandsons.co.uk
LUME
© Aurea Srl 2016
“To me truffles are, without a doubt, the Italian ingredient par excellence,” says Luigi Taglienti, Executive Chef of Michelin-starred LUME Milan. “Capturing the essence of the Italian cuisine, they are attributable to its cultural origins and yet are adaptable and contemporary all the same. Their unusual flavour lends itself to so many dishes.”
Featuring on LUME’s dessert menu, for example, is a black truffle tiramisu Tartufo Nero e Tiramisu, in which Chef Luigi has taken the two most popular desserts from the traditional trattoria and unified them. The dessert takes the form of the black truffle and the result is a salty, sweet, crunchy, creamy explosion with an exquisite flavour in which the freshness of the black truffle cuts through deeper coffee notes from the classic tiramisu dish.
Skylon
Skylon, situated on London’s Southbank, will be offering a special truffle menu throughout November and December. Designed by Executive Chef, Kim Woodward, the luxurious six-course tasting menu (£95pp) features truffle in every dish, with highlights including; Terrine of guinea fowl, black truffles and pickled mushrooms; Seared scallop, roasted chicken thigh, walnuts and black truffles; Alpaco chocolate mousse, truffle soil, clementine and Angostura bitters. Available from November.
Meraki
Meraki, a contemporary Greek restaurant and recent addition to Fitzrovia, has created a unique dish for truffle season. The recently-launched autumn menu features the ‘Rooster Pastitsio’, a modern twist on the classic Greek dish consisting of rooster ravioli with a rich truffle béchamel sauce (£14).