Truffle concentrates and flavourings

Truffles are a delicacy available fresh only at certain times of the year, which makes them rare and expensive. But there are some tricks to enjoy the flavor of truffles even when the raw material is not available: truffle flavored concentrates.

With concentrates, unlike truffle flavored oil, you just need to use very few drops to make your dishes rich in flavour. The truffle flavored concentrates can be based on extra virgin olive oil, therefore suitable for recipes that include oil-based sauces or condiments, or water-soluble. The water-soluble concentrates are designed to flavor products with a high water content, for example alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, cheeses, desserts and baked goods.

 

WHITE TRUFFLE FLAVORED COCKTAILS
Especially in autumn, truffle flavored cocktails stand out for their class and elegance among classic drinks. More and more bartenders are inventing and studying particular cocktails for their customers who are now tired of the usual drinks: a few drops of truffle aroma and what was once a banal drink becomes a perfectly balanced and innovative combination of flavours.

• Truffold Fashioned. Matteo Zamberlan, known as Zen, revolutionizes the classic Old fashioned thanks to fat washing (a technique for flavoring the cocktail with a fatty product, in this case white truffle butter), giving life to a cocktail that recalls the pleasant sensations of a plate of fresh truffle tagliolini.
  To create this drink you will need: Rye Whiskey, Cognac, truffle butter or truffle flavored concentrate. If you choose to do fat washing, start melting the truffle butter at a controlled temperature and let the mixture rest for 24 hours in the freezer: you will notice that the dose of butter will recondense, separating from the more liquid part of the drink. Remove the solid part, pour the mixture into glasses suitable for whiskey and sip your cocktail letting yourself be carried away by the aroma of the truffle. If you want a lighter alternative, just add a few drops of truffle concentrate to the mix of Rye Whiskey and Cognac.
• Created in Florence by Vincenzo Civita and Marco Colonnelli, this sweet cocktail was created in honor of the Mayan culture and is made with truffle honey, Mezcal and pineapple tepache. If you don't have flavored honey you can add a few drops of our truffle concentrate to the honey. Making this drink is very simple: mix the mezcal with the tepache and flavored honey, then pour the mixture into a glass, preferably a ceramic mug, with an ice cube: now you just have to enjoy this delicious cocktail.
• Truffle Collins. This drink comes to life in Turin, revolutionizing the classic Collins drink. To create this refined drink you will need: London dry gin, lemon juice, soda and truffle honey syrup. Also in this case, if you don't have flavored honey, just add a few drops of truffle flavored concentrate to the honey. Shake the ingredients with ice and then filter the mixture into a copper mug. As a decoration, use burnt lemon peel and rosemary to give a more rustic touch to the drink.

 

TRAINING TRUFFLE DOGS WITH TRUFFLE AROMA
All truffle hunters need an expert nose to accompany them during their walks in the woods in search of rare and precious truffles. To train their dogs, truffle hunters use truffle-flavoured concentrates: usually a scorzone-based concentrate is chosen since, although it is still very valuable, it is less precious compared to other types of truffles.

Before moving on to training your dog we must make a premise: all dogs can be suitable for truffle hunting since their nose, due to its shape, is rich in receptors. Obviously there are dogs more predisposed to this type of work such as the Lagotto Romagnolo, the Pointer, the Bracco, the Beagle, the Cocker and many others.

What really makes the difference is the character of our dog: like us, dogs have their own character and abilities for which they are better suited than others. Searching for truffles by smell for prolonged periods of time requires a good dose of concentration on the part of your four-legged friend, and concentration is the balance between emotion and reasoning: the more emotional the dog is, the more he will struggle in his research, on the contrary, the less emotional the dog is, the easier it will be for him to find the truffles hidden underground.

Moving on to the practical side, training your dog to find truffles is quite simple: you have to associate the smell of truffles with something positive. Your dog must understand that when he manages to find the object that has the truffle scent he will receive a reward, a reward. The best way to do this is to play with him: take a toy and pour a few drops of truffle concentrate on it, initially play with it together with your dog to get him used to the new smell. Then start throwing it between bushes, near trees and hiding it among the leaves, in this way he will begin to understand the areas where the truffle can hide: every time he manages to find it, reward him.

 

This is just one of the many techniques and schools of thought related to the training of truffle dogs, but we consider it very simple and effective, as well as fun for you and for your four-legged companion. Now all you have to do is try searching for truffles with your dog, perhaps after sipping a delicious truffle-flavoured Old Fashioned