Tselani
It’s truffle season, so at the three-star Parisian restaurant, we celebrate the mushroom-like tubers by adding them to several dishes. If you’re feeling lavish, you can order the special truffle menu. For a mere $500 per person, you can enjoy six courses loaded with delicate slices of truffle. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Only you can be the judge.
Each morning, I open the refrigerator at the amuse bouche station and the heady, earthy perfume of truffles pours forth. We are the lucky keepers of a white plastic bucket, full to the brim with an assortment of black truffles. On any given day, there are about $5,000 of truffles sitting in our refrigerator. I’m surprised they’re not under lock and key, weighed out like gold each time they’re used, and carefully accounted for. But not here.
When I first started at the amuse bouche station, I was hesitant about shaving the truffles – a main ingredient in the artichoke soup that we prepare. What if I made a mistake while shaving them? To cut the truffles, we use a special truffle shaver that makes even, clean, thin slices. These slices are then gently placed on top of the artichoke soup or used in a number of other dishes. But now that I’ve been here for four weeks, I shave with the best of them, knowing just how thin to make the slices.
Scattered around our feet and the countertop, there are tiny particles of truffle. We do save most of them to add to the soup or other dishes, but I’m surprised at how lightly the chefs take something so expensive. Anyone in the kitchen could swiftly pocket one with no one the wiser. Every once in a while, I slip a thin slice onto my tongue and enjoy the faith earthy heaven that the truffle imparts. I shouldn’t, but I do. And I’m not the only one either!
But here’s the paradox. No matter how many artichoke soups we serve, we never run out of truffles. There seems to be a never-ending supply – like someone has cast a spell on the white plastic bucket so it magically fills itself when low. Yet when I need a sponge, I have to plead with the chef. Those are actually locked in a closet. I kid you not. So why there are thousands of dollars worth of truffles in my refrigerator, and I have beg for a sponge worth .99 cents?!? I certainly don’t have an answer.
I used to be in awe of truffles, but now that I work with them on a daily basis, the glimmer has worn off a bit. Yes, they are amazing and can transport an ordinary dish to stellar heights. But as I slip a small piece on my tongue, I’m not sure I’d want to fork over $100 for a quarter-sized truffle. I’d rather keep my money, and let those living extravagant lifestyles order the truffle menu!
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (1)
tse, be careful, tho. your chef may someday read your blog. some things may hurt his feelings. some people run their kitchens by yelling because it has worked for them. different people have different styles. don't take it personally. few chefs are totally calm and organized. sometimes madness in the kitchen translates into heaven for the diners.