SAN MINIATO WHITE TRUFFLE TAGLIOLINI
White truffles have a more delicate flavour than the black and need a simple background, so I ummed and ahhhed about this recipe a while. Purists (Roberto in Montisi for instance!), advise butter only, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to up the ante further with cream, a little egg yolk, parmesan… So turns out that I have not actually gone native just yet after all!
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 1 medium-sized white truffle (approx. 20g)
- 200g fresh egg tagliolini
- 50g salted butter – cut into cubes and at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh pouring cream
- 1 egg yolk
- Pinch of salt and white pepper
- 25g shaved Parmesan
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
Meanwhile, make sure the other ingredients are ready to go:
Clean the truffle carefully with a soft brush. This should remove any grit, (and besides, it’s good dirt!). Running water is the sworn enemy of the truffle – don’t even think about it!
Whisk the egg yolk and cream together gently, ready to toss onto the cooked tagliolini later. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
When the water is boiling, add the fresh tagliolini and cook for two minutes. Then drain into a colander, retaining a splash of the cooking water.
Return the tagliolini to the pot, along with a little of the reserved cooking water. Add the butter, and toss everything together briefly before also mixing through the whisked egg and cream, along with a handful of the flaked parmesan. Toss until everything is well combined, and the cheese has melted a little (but not so long that the tagliolini starts to overcook and become sticky).
Swirl the tagliolini onto warmed plates, scatter the remaining parmesan, then shave the truffle on top, (a speed-peeler works well, inelegant, but effective) allowing the curls to flake down like (expensive) snow!
