Black Truffle

Know this

The one worth the money is the Périgord black, Tuber melanosporum, dug from December into March in France, Spain and now Australia in the off months. Summer truffles look the part at a fraction of the price and taste of almost nothing, so read the Latin. A good one is firm all over, heavy for its size, and smells like something you cannot name but want to; soft spots and a faint whiff of ammonia mean it is past it. Buy by weight, a fifteen-gram truffle is plenty for four. Chef secret: wrap it in a paper towel inside a sealed jar in the fridge, change the towel every day, and bury a few whole eggs in there with it. In two days the aroma is inside the shells, and the scrambled eggs are the best thing you make all winter.

Cook

Do not. Shave it raw, as thin as you can, over something hot and fat: eggs, buttered pasta, risotto, a baked potato. Heat is what carries the aroma, cooking is what destroys it. As for the oil in the gift basket, the smell comes from a lab, not a forest.

Season

December through March. Use a fresh one within a week; it loses weight and aroma every day it sits.

Best pairings

Egg · Butter · Potato · Parmesan · Cream · Pasta

Also worth trying: chicken, celery root, brioche, risotto, mushroom, foie gras.

Recommended wine