Truffle concentrates and flavorings

Truffle is a delicacy available fresh only during certain times of the year, which makes it rare and expensive. But there are some tricks to enjoy the flavor of truffle even when the raw ingredient is not available: truffle-flavored concentrates.

With concentrates, unlike truffle-flavored oil, you only need a few drops to make your dishes rich in flavor. Truffle-flavored concentrates can be oil-based, suitable for recipes with sauces or dressings made with oil, or water-soluble. Water-soluble concentrates are designed to flavor products with high water content, such as 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 unique cocktails for their clientele, now tired of the usual drinks: a few drops of truffle aroma turn what was once a simple drink into a perfectly balanced and innovative blend of flavors.

• Truffold Fashioned. Matteo Zamberlan, known as Zen, revolutionizes the classic Old Fashioned thanks to fat washing (a technique to flavor the cocktail with a fatty product, in this case white truffle butter), creating a cocktail that recalls the pleasant sensations of a plate of tagliolini with fresh truffle.
  To make this drink you will need: Rye Whiskey, Cognac, truffle butter or truffle-flavored concentrate. If you choose to do the fat washing, start by melting the truffle butter at a controlled temperature and let the mixture rest for 24 hours in the freezer: you will notice that the butter will recondense, separating from the more liquid part of the drink. Remove the solid part, pour the mixture into whiskey glasses, and sip your cocktail while letting yourself be carried away by the aroma of truffle. If you want a lighter alternative, just add a few drops of truffle concentrate to the Rye Whiskey and Cognac mix.
• Created in Florence by Vincenzo Civita and Marco Colonnelli, this sweet cocktail is born in honor of Maya 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 regular honey. Making this drink is very simple: shake the mezcal with the tepache and flavored honey, then pour the mixture into a glass, preferably a ceramic mug glass, with an ice cube: now you just have to enjoy this delicious cocktail.
• Truffle Collins. This drink was born in Turin, revolutionizing the classic Collins cocktail. To create this refined drink you need: London dry gin, lemon juice, soda, and truffle honey syrup. Again, 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 strain the mixture into a copper mug glass. For decoration, use a burnt lemon peel and rosemary to give the drink a more rustic touch.

 

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

Before moving on to training your dog, we need to make a premise: all dogs can be suitable for truffle hunting because their noses, by structure, are rich in receptors. Of course, some dogs are more predisposed to this type of work, such as the Lagotto Romagnolo, Pointer, Bracco, Beagle, Cocker, and many others.

What really makes the difference is your dog’s character: like us, dogs have their own personality and skills for which they are more suited than others. Searching for truffles by scent for extended periods requires a good amount of concentration from your four-legged friend, and concentration is the balance between emotion and reasoning: the more emotional the dog is, the harder the search will be; conversely, 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 need to associate the smell of truffle with something positive. Your dog must understand that when he finds the object with the truffle scent, he will receive a reward, a gratification. The best way to do this is to play with him: take a toy and put a few drops of truffle concentrate on it, initially playing with your dog to get him used to the new smell. Then start throwing it among bushes, near trees, and hiding it among leaves, so he will begin to understand the areas where truffles can hide: every time he finds it, reward him.

 

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