I recently had the pleasure to meet a dynamic young South African who is creating some wonderful products using the addictive flavour of Italian Black truffles and local naturally produced food products; She has created 3 different combinations with the Black truffles, a stunning Truffle honey using Cape wild flower honey, a Truffle salt using salt from the salt pans in the Kalahari desert and a delicious, creamy Truffle mayonnaise. Truffles have a highly pungent flavour therefore combining them with plain food allows the maximum enjoyment of the truffle taste. I used all three in the following recipes. First I roasted a chicken and basted it with the Truffle honey. I served this with plain fettucine tossed in Crème Legere (from Normandie) sprinkled with Truffle Salt. I then sliced the cold chicken and mixed this with the Truffle mayonnaise and served it on a bed of salad. It was delicious and so easy. The salad is ideal if you know that you have a power cut looming and need cold dishes that are interesting and have plenty of flavour. I suggest serving these dishes with an earthy wine to complement the truffle flavour such as the St Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone Rouge from the southern Rhone region.
Ingredients for 2 people:
Truffle Roast Chicken:
- 1 fresh chicken
- 3 tablespoons truffle honey from the French Market
- Packet of fresh pasta such as fettucine or tagliatelle
- About 250ml Crème Legere ( light cooking cream) from Normandie from the French Market
- Black Truffle salt from the French market
- Knob of butter or olive oil to baste chicken
Truffle Chicken Salad
- 1 breast of cooked chicken
- 1 packet of Baby leaf salad
- 3 or 4 tablespoon truffle mayonnaise
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
- Rub the chicken skin with some butter or oil
- Cook the chicken in a covered cooking pan for 40 minutes per kilo or part thereof, baste with cooking juice about every 15 minutes
- Remove cover from chicken and cook for 20 minutes until golden.
- While chicken is nearing end of cooking time, bring salted water to boil in a saucepan
- Add the pasta once water boils and a spoonful of olive oil, cook for a few minutes until almost soft (check directions on packet)
- Once cooked, strain off water.
- Return pasta to saucepan and pour liquid Crème legere over pasta , turn lightly to ensure pasta well coated, heat gently to keep warm
- Sprinkle about half a teaspon of truffle salt (according to your taste) over pasta.
- Remove chicken from oven and baste the outside with 2 or 3 teaspoons of truffle honey.
- Carve some slices, and place over the fettucine, serve immediately
Directions Chicken salad:
- Take the left over cold chicken and remove all the meat from the bone.
- Slice meat finely
- Mix in a bowl with enough truffle mayonnaise to ensure it is well coated
- Wash salad leaves and pat dry
- Decorate a flat plate with the salad leaves.
- Pile up the chicken mayonnaise in the centre of the salad
- Add an extra dolllop of mayonaise on top of the chicken
- Serve accompanied by some crisp baguettes
I recommend serving this salad with a dry Rose wine such as a Triennes Rose from Provence.
Bon Appétit!