WORLD TRUFFLE GROWERS
AUSTRALIA
Who would have imagined truffles in Australia? Why?
Because truffles are normally so French or Italian? So mystical and romantic?
Because we cannot assume these mysterious phenomena could occur naturally anywhere other than Europe?
Perhaps, like great wines, fabulous cuisine and great chefs the Australians got fed up with importing, so got on with producing their own, and do a fabulous job.
The Australian Truffle Growers Association web site starts of very bluntly, puts their information clearly, and takes out some of the mystery we have suffocated in.
http://trufflegrowers.com.au/
“Truffles are a fungus and grow under the ground as a result of a symbiotic relationship with the roots of particular trees (such as oaks and hazelnuts) infected with the appropriate mycorrhiza (literally, fungus root). While they were originally were confined to the wild, the past century has seen considerable research, particularly in France, into developing the capability of cultivating them as a domestic crop. The truffles form in late summer and slowly mature during autumn and are ready to harvest in winter. They can be found breaking the surface of the ground or down to 200 millimetres deep and are best located by a trained dog, from the aroma they emit when ripening. The truffle then has to be assessed by a trained human nose to determine whether it is truly ‘ripe’ or should be left in the ground for another few days or a week before being harvested.”
“Simple right? No problem. Got that mate? And whose going to cook them cos they aren’t for the BBQ?”
The Australians now supply some of the best London restaurants from about late June and as one Italian Mayfair chef said in a slightly guilty manner “please let me know when they arrive as I love them and use them a lot”.
This years 2016 season was now running 2-3 weeks late, as they had not yet ripened.
It was said about the terrible weather in Europe “good for truffles, bad for grapes” but they don’t want hot weather either.
The Australians are keeping a very close eye on another source of competition from Chile and China, they intend to stay ahead of the game and protect their quality.
Interestingly The Canberra Times quotes "The Australian Truffle Growers Association confirmed that New South Wales holds the record for the biggest French Black Périgord truffle ever recorded in Australia, weighing in at 1.172 kilograms.
It was absolutely fitting that the industry's key event be hosted in this region," Said Mr Barilaro a member for Monaro.
Reportedly New South Wales now has the highest number of truffle growers, while Western Australia has the biggest yield and there was potential to catch up to Western Australian producers, who harvested six tonne last season.
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CHAMPAGNE & ALBA TRUFFLE RISOTTO
Ingredients;
5-10g of cleaned Alba truffles from a good supplier
300 g quality unsalted butter
400g Carnaroli risotto rice
1200 ml of mushroom stock
Truffle oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 finely diced shallots
125ml Champagne
150g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
80ml double cream
Method;
Melt 100g of the butter in a wide bottomed pan and gently stir in the rice with a wooden spoon until it becomes translucent.
Adding the mushroom stock slowly stirring after each addition so the stock has been absorbed before adding more but do not over cook the rice.
Stir in the butter a few cubes at a time and when that is mixed in pour in the Champagne.
Add Parmesan cheese, double cream and seasoning.
Serve but make sure the plates are not cold.
Drizzle with the truffle oil and shaved truffles
Porcini mushrooms are a good substitute if truffles are out of season.
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