Truffle Infused Process for Cream, Eggs and Butter

Fresh truffles are at their best when their aroma is strong. By storing a fresh truffle in a sealed container with eggs, cream, or butter, you can infuse those ingredients with truffle aroma without grating the truffle into them.

Better yet, you can use the same truffle to infuse more than one ingredient and still have it available to shave over a finished dish.

The process is simple, but it does take a little planning. Keep the truffle refrigerated and dry, allow time for the aroma to transfer, and handle it gently so you can still use it as a garnish or in another dish afterward.

What does truffle infusion actually do?

This method gives eggs, cream, and butter the aroma of fresh truffles without adding pieces of truffle to them. The flavor is more subtle than grating truffle directly into the food, so I like to think of it as another layer of truffle flavor rather than a substitute for fresh truffle.

Before You Begin: Keep Fresh Truffles Dry and Cold

Do not wash fresh truffles before storing them. Brush away any dirt with a fine mushroom brush or soft toothbrush, then wrap each truffle separately in paper towel and place it in a clean glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate the container and change the paper towel whenever it becomes damp. Keep black and white truffles in separate containers.

Storage time varies with the type and condition of the truffle, so plan to use it promptly rather than relying on a fixed number of days. The paper towel helps keep the truffle dry, while the sealed container keeps its aroma from spreading through the refrigerator.

How to Infuse Eggs with Fresh Truffles

Eggs are especially well suited to truffle infusion because the volatile aroma compounds can pass through the shell. The fat-rich yolk readily takes up truffle aroma, giving the egg a noticeable truffle fragrance after it has been stored with a fresh truffle.

Truffle infused eggs are especially useful for poaching, scrambling, or serving with a truffle-focused sauce.

You will need:

• 6 fresh eggs
• 1 truffle, white or black
• Glass container with tight-fitting lid
• Tea ball infuser

Place the eggs in the glass container. Wrap the truffle in a fresh piece of paper towel and place it inside the tea ball infuser, then put the infuser in the container and close the lid. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

The next day, remove the tea ball, discard the paper towel, and wrap the truffle in a fresh piece. Return it to the infuser and container, then refrigerate for another 24 hours. The eggs are ready to use after two days. If you want to boil truffle infused eggs see these instructions for hard-boiled eggs.

How to Infuse Cream with Fresh Truffles

For cream, suspend the truffle above the liquid instead of placing it directly in the cream. This keeps the truffle dry while its aroma moves into the cream inside the sealed container.

I used one small white truffle and 2 cups of 40% heavy cream. You will need:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 truffle, white or black
• Glass container with a tight-fitting lid
• Tea ball infuser
• Kitchen string to replace the chain on the tea ball
• Duct tape

The metal chain on the tea ball can keep the lid from tightening. Remove the chain and replace it with kitchen string. Add the cream to the container, then test the string length so the tea ball hangs about 1 inch above the cream when the lid is closed. Secure the string to the outside of the container with duct tape.

Wrap the truffle in one layer of paper towel, place it in the tea ball, and close the container. Refrigerate it.

For the next two days, remove the tea ball, replace the paper towel, and return the truffle to the container. After three days, the cream will have taken on the truffle aroma and is ready to use.

How to Infuse Butter with Fresh Truffles

Butter is another practical way to capture fresh-truffle aroma. The truffle stays wrapped and suspended in the container, so the butter remains clean while it takes on the aroma. This is different from black truffle butter, where grated truffle is mixed directly into softened butter.

You will need:

• 1 pound butter, salted or unsalted
• Glass container with tight-fitting lid
• Tea ball infuser
• 1 white or black truffle

Wrap the truffle in one layer of paper towel and place it in the tea ball. Put the tea ball in the container with the butter, close the lid, and refrigerate. For the next three days, replace the paper towel and return the truffle to the container. The butter will be ready after three days.

Divide the infused butter into small portions before freezing so you can use only what you need. Label and wrap the portions well, then thaw them in the refrigerator before using.

Ways to Use Truffle-Infused Ingredients

The infused eggs and butter work together in Eggs Benedict with White Truffle Hollandaise Sauce, where the eggs are used for poaching and the butter goes into the hollandaise.

Use the infused butter as a finishing butter for pasta, vegetables, or eggs. If you want the truffle mixed directly into butter rather than infused through the container, use the black truffle butter method. For another way to use the truffle itself, try this black truffle pasta.