If you are buying online, check your truffle seller is providing you with fresh product. What you should be looking for, how much to prepare per person plus a straightforward dish to enjoy right away. Berlin (dpa) – More and more people are acquiring a taste for truffles. But how should they be used and how much do you need? "If you're using real truffles, allow about 10 grams per person," says Nikolai Wojtko from the Ahrtrüffel association, a truffle group based in western Germany. He says they are usually sold already cleaned and ready to use. But if you still want to peel your truffles, don't throw away the skins. "You can soak them in olive oil for a few days to make aromatic truffle oil," he says. Keep meals using truffles as simple as possible to avoid losing the flavour. Wojtko likes to eat his truffles on toast with butter. But ask Ralf Bos, chef and owner of a delicatessen delivery service, and he opts for risotto with white truffles. "A truffle slicer is useful for this – the thinner your slices, the more taste buds are stimulated on the tongue." Plus he has another tip for risotto: "Leave out the white wine and use cream instead" – this brings out the flavour even better. The two crucial questions to ask your truffle dealer If you can only order your truffles online, one question you may be asking yourself is how do you know if a dealer is selling you good quality truffles? "Call them! When you talk to a dealer, you can quickly tell whether they know what they're talking about and love the product," says Bos, who recommends asking two simple questions, firstly, when does fresh produce arrive and secondly, how does the dealer determine that the produce is good? What should you hope to hear? "A specific answer, such as 'fresh truffles arrive on Tuesdays and Fridays,' is not only correct but also helpful," says Bos. For the second question, it is important that the answer mentions criteria such as checking the goods for soft spots, mould or damage. What you do not want to hear is, "We only order when we receive an order." This means that the retailer sends out everything they receive. "That's not good at all," says Bos. Because then you always have to factor in two times two days for safety. Ultimately, you always end up with old goods, he says. If you want to make a dish using truffles, food blogger Julia Uehren suggests you simply grate a truffle very finely over tagliatelle. Ingredients for 4 servings of tagliatelle with truffles 1 onion 1 tbsp butter 250 g whipping cream Salt Pepper 750 g tagliatelle (fresh) 40 g white truffles Parmesan cheese (as desired) Preparation Peel and finely dice the onion. Melt about 1 tbsp butter in a large pan over a low heat and sauté the diced onion until soft. Stir in the cream and season the sauce with salt and pepper. Cook the fresh tagliatelle al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta and then stir into the cream sauce. Arrange the tagliatelle on plates and shave the truffle fresh and wafer-thin over the pasta. Grate a little Parmesan over the dish to taste. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn ueh xxde arw
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