Truffes au Champagne

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Soft truffle brush
• •6-inch (15 cm) heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve lined with rinsed muslin or fine cheesecloth
• •4-cup (1 L) lidded timbale or shallow heatproof serving dish
• •Instant-read thermometer, useful but not required

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the truffles

   Brush the truffles under a thin thread of cold running water, working carefully into every crevice so no grit remains. Do not soak them. Dry them thoroughly, then season all over with the salt and white pepper. Rinse the muslin with very hot water, squeeze it nearly dry, and use it to line a fine-mesh sieve; damp muslin absorbs less of the precious sauce.

2. 2

   Cook covered in Champagne

   Arrange the truffles snugly in a single layer in the smallest heavy saucepan that will hold them. Pour in the Champagne, which should come at least three-quarters of the way up their sides. Bring it only to a gentle simmer, cover tightly, and lower the heat. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning the truffles once; they should be hot through and yield only slightly to a fine skewer, never soften like ordinary mushrooms.

   Pan size matters. If the Champagne lies shallow around the truffles, move everything to a narrower saucepan rather than diluting it with water.
3. 3

   Lift and keep covered

   Warm the timbale or serving dish with hot water, then empty and dry it. Lift the truffles from the Champagne with a slotted spoon, place them in the warm dish, and cover immediately. Keep every drop of Champagne in the saucepan. Individual silver pans are unnecessary; one covered vessel protects the perfume just as well.

4. 4

   Reduce and strain

   Boil the Champagne uncovered until it is almost completely reduced, about 8 to 12 minutes. Watch closely as the last liquid gathers into roughly 2 tablespoons (30 ml), with broad, glossy bubbles. Lower the heat and swirl the pan rather than stirring. If the edge begins to catch, pour the clear reduction at once into a clean saucepan, leaving the dark deposit behind, and continue gently. Reserve 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the cold fond de veau, then add the remaining ½ cup (120 ml) to the reduction. Warm only until the first tremor appears at the edge, then strain through the prepared muslin into a warm jug.

5. 5

   Hold below a boil

   Pour the strained sauce immediately over the truffles and cover. Hold the dish for 10 minutes in a shallow bath of hot water over the lowest heat, or on the back of a turned-off burner if the vessel retains warmth. The sauce should remain hot and still, ideally 158 to 176°F (70 to 80°C), without a bubble breaking the surface. If one appears, lift the dish away and stir in the reserved cold fond de veau, then cover and finish the rest off the heat. Ça se rattrape. Serve one or two whole truffles per person with the clear sauce spooned generously over them. À table!

Chef Tips

• •This dish needs fresh black winter truffles, firm, heavy for their size, and powerfully fragrant before you bring them near the pan. Preserved truffles and truffle oil change the dish completely. If fresh truffles aren't in season, wait for them; here the ingredient is the occasion.
• •Use a dry brut Champagne, never demi-sec. The bottle needn't be rare, but the wine must taste clean because its acidity and fruit are concentrated almost to dryness. Pour the remaining Champagne at the table.
• •The fond de veau should taste strong while remaining clear and pourable, not thick like demi-glace. If ordinary unsalted veal stock is all you have, reduce 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g), cool it, and measure from there.
• •Do not add butter, cream, shallots, herbs, or truffle oil. The source preparation is deliberately spare: Champagne, veal stock, seasoning, and the truffles themselves.
• •Serve beside simply roasted capon, veal, or beef, or present the truffles alone as a small celebratory course. Cooked truffles are best immediately; refrigerate leftovers in their sauce within two hours and use them within one day, reheating below a simmer.

Advance Preparation

• •The fond de veau can be prepared or reduced up to two days ahead, chilled promptly, and kept covered. Measure it before beginning so the Champagne reduction never waits.
• •The truffles may be scrubbed up to two hours before cooking. Dry them thoroughly, wrap them in clean absorbent paper, and keep them chilled until the saucepan is ready.
• •Do not cook the completed dish ahead. Its perfume is strongest after the final ten-minute rest, and repeated reheating spends the very thing you bought the truffles for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)