Treat Yourself to Truffles

Truffles, those rare and flavorful fungi, are so overpoweringly potent that a tiny amount imparts an earthy essence that transforms foods from mashed potatoes to foie gras. For those who shy away from cooking with the fresh ingredient—or whose budgets won’t allow a splurge on pricey whole truffles—there are many truffle-laced products available at varying prices to help you enjoy a touch of extravagance. The line-up includes truffle-flavored salt, cheese, butter, vinegar, salami, foie gras, flour, pasta, rice, mustard, mayonnaise and honey.

Truffle-laced cheese and butter are the perfect starting points for home entertaining with truffles. Fromagerie Delin of Burgundy, France, offers a triple crème Brillat-Savarin with truffles inside, while Cypress Grove Chevre in Arcata, Calif., offers Truffle Tremor, a cheese made from ripened goat’s milk. Truffle cheese is perfect alone with a dry white wine as an appetizer, or it can be added to polenta, risotto or even mashed potatoes.

Truffle butter and oil are more accessible than fresh truffles—and more wallet-friendly. Truffle butter such as black truffle butter from Aux Délices des Bois®, from New York-based Transatlantic Foods, goes well on eggs, pasta, risotto, artichokes and scallops.

Other new items featuring truffle essence include Creminelli Fine Meats’ (Seattle) Salami Tartufo made with black summer truffles from Northern Italy ($59.99/2 pounds), organic extra virgin olive oil infused with white truffle from Fungusamongus (Snohomish, Wash.) and black truffle Pecorino cheese and white truffle creamy asparagus spread from La Rustichella (Rome, Italy), which add luster to cheese-filled pasta or bruschetta.

While truffle-laced specialties are tasty luxuries or distinctive gifts, they don’t have to be used for only special occasions—they can liven up any meal.—Julie Besonen and Vanessa Facenda

TRUFFLE PASTA, SALT, VINEGAR AND MORE

Here is a range of truffle-laced products:

ANTICA DISPENSA: Slender tagliatelle pasta flavored with white truffles from Piedmont; anticadispensa.it.   
CIAO IMPORTS: Importer of Italy’s Appennino Funghi e Tartufi fresh and frozen truffles and packaged products including condiments, salt, honey and pasta; ciaoimports.com.
DORAL INTERNATIONAL: Importer of T&C white truffle oil, truffle butter and summer truffle cream, tartufata sauce with truffles, mushrooms and olives and several other products; doralgourmet.com.
FABRIQUE DELICES: Artisanal charcuterie including pheasant ballotine with truffle and foie gras layered with truffle; fabriquedelices.com.
FROMAGERIE DELIN: Cheese products from Burgundy, including triple crème Brillat-Savarin with truffles inside and Regal de Bourgogne with truffles rolled on the outside; fromagerie-delin.com.
FUNGUSAMONGUS: Truffle mustard and Italian green peaches with truffle are among several truffle products; fungusamongus.com.
GOURMET ATTITUDE: Offers Boutique de la truffle, a line of delicacies including truffle oil, white truffle cream, truffle honey, truffle peelings and truffle carpaccio; gourmetattitude.com.
LA RUSTICELLA: Truffles from Umbria, Abruzzo and Marche flavor creamy spreads for pasta and bread, plus black truffle Pecorino cheese and truffle polenta; larustichella.com.
LES TROIS PETITS COCHONS: Mousse Truffee Truffle Mousse and Chicken Sausage with Black Truffles; 3pigs.com.
PLANTIN: New products from France including truffle mustard, fragrant truffle vinaigrette and truffle vinegar; 3pigs.com.
RITROVO: Ground Italian black truffle and sea salt; ritrovo.com.
ROUGIE: Products include truffle butter and duck foie gras with port wine and truffles; rougie.ca.
SABATINO TARTUFI: Truffle sea salt, truffle-flavored flour and truffle honey; sabatinotartufi.com.
TENTAZIONI: Truffle flour, which can be used to make pizza, foccacia and béchamel sauce; truffle.it.
TRANSATLANTIC FOODS, INC.: Aux Délices des Bois® black truffle butter and white truffle butter; transatlanticfoods.com.