Truffles

Boston's luxury shopping destination, Newbury Street will have a new treat come March 24. Sabatino North America, the largest importer and manufacturer of gourmet truffle products in the U.S. is opening their first flagship retail store, Sabatino&Co. Roma in Boston on Newbury Street on March 24th right around the time that the Italian company celebrates its centennial. The store will introduce a wide range of products including gourmet foods and condiments, cookbooks and home accessories to add a little luxe to your life.

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Alain Ducasse's traditional French bistro Benoit New York, the highly acclaimed French bistro and you just may end up winning a two-night stay at L'Andana, Ducasse's country hotel in Tuscany, Italy.

Indeed, Valentine's Day guests will be given a candied apple to take away, which will reveal the lucky winner of the giveaway. L'Andana represents Chef Alain Ducasse's passion for Italy and his interpretation of "l'art de vivre," the art of living. Formerly the Duke of Tuscany's hunting lodge, L'Andana is situated on the 1,240 acre Tenuta La Badiola estate. Ducasse envisioned L'Andana as a comfortable countryside inn with the spirit and atmosphere of a guesthouse, while also providing the finest hotel amenities and services to its guests.

On Sunday, February 13th, Benoit Executive Chef Philippe Bertineau will be offering the regular à la carte menu and a $65 prix-fixe menu. On Valentine's Day, Monday, February 14th, a limited à la carte menu will be served, along with the special $65 prix-fixe menu (with choice of appetizer, entrée and dessert).

Benoit New York, the highly acclaimed French bistro that is part of the Alain Ducasse restaurant empire, is offering fresh black Périgord truffles throughout the month of February. The truffles can be shaved over any dish offered on the menu that features classic French bistro cuisine for a supplemental cost of $9 for 5 grams, which is the actual cost to the restaurant. The truffle pairing will be available through the end of February.

Benoit Executive Chef Philippe Bertineau suggests enjoying the truffle garnish atop a selection of dishes. In addition to the Maine Lobster Salad and Tarte Flambée, the truffle shavings work well with the Filet Mignon and Hand-chopped Beef Tartare.

"One of the dishes I recommended serving with truffles is our Seasonal Local Vegetable Cookpot," says Chef Philippe Bertineau told Luxist. "The Cookpot is an oven-to-table porcelain dish that Alain Ducasse created with designer Pierre Tachon specifically for cooking and serving vegetables. It's a modern adaptation of the traditional cooking pot used in France's rural regions, and all of Chef Ducasse's restaurants around the world offer a seasonal vegetable Cookpot dish that's composed of local vegetables."

"For the Cookpot at Benoit, we wanted to create a vegetarian dish using root vegetables---our version includes parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sunchokes, rutabaga, celery root, butternut squash and chestnuts layered over a mushroom duxelles and finished with fresh black truffle," adds Chef Bertineau, the former Executive Chef of Balthazar who joined Benoit in October. "All of the vegetables are cooked together and served in the Cookpot, and it's a wonderful dish for the wintertime."

The other day my colleague Carrie Coolidge mentioned the black truffle tart at the Francois Payard Bakery in New York City. Black truffles are also being celebrated at Patina in Los Angeles. The Truffle Dinner Series on Wednesday, January 11 and Thursday, January 12, 2011 features a three-course, five-course and seven-course menu for $95, $135 and $175 (wine pairings are also available). Mr. Christopher Poron, of the PLANTIN Truffle Company in France, spends the evening tableside sharing stories of harvesting these earthy treasures.

Love Truffles? If so, then be sure to visit Eataly, one of the largest high quality food halls in the world, on Sunday, November 21, when the food hall celebrates "White Truffle Day".

Eataly is throwing a storewide celebration as part of their month-long celebration of the Italian region of Piedmont (a region well known for its truffles).

White truffles are in season from October through the end of December, and at their absolute peak flavor-wise in November. They are found almost exclusively in the mountains and foothills of Northern Italy. Italian White Piedmont Truffles are among the most expensive and prized of all the truffles varieties (see "What are Truffles" and "Knowing Your Truffles: A Guide to Colors, Regions and Flavors"). A member of the fungi family, truffles are typically extremely expensive because of their scarcity.

Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has unveiled a new white truffle menu, as well as a brand new menu featuring exquisite game, both of which are worth checking out if you find yourself in Las Vegas.

The Las Vegas eatery, which opened in 2006, is chef Guy Savoy's only location in the U.S. The restaurant has two Michelin stars to its name as well as being recently featured as a nominee for a Luxist Awards' Readers Choice award in the best domestic fine dining category.

The restaurant, which is a sister restaurant to Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris (winner of the Readers Choice Award for Best International Restaurant) is currently featuring a La Truffle Blanche D'Alba menu which begins with Scallop Carpaccio served with a cauliflower puree. The thinly sliced scallops are seasoned simply with fleur de sel, white pepper and olive oil and just warmed under the salamander. The dish is topped with a scallop juice made from reduced scallop fumet, butter and white truffle paste. Fresh white truffles are grated tableside. The next course features a Pumpkin and White Truffle Soup with poached Egg (see gallery below). The soup is cooked in one part chicken stock to one part heavy cream. It is seasoned with white truffle paste and served with a slowly poached egg and freshly shaved white truffle. The presentation is quite the spectacle as it is ladled out of a 25 pound Fairytale Pumpkin, also known as the Cinderella pumpkin.

On Wednesday, November 3rd, from 7:00 pm to midnight, La Maison du Chocolat, will host a special evening dedicated to pastry and chocolate at the chocolatier's 1018 Madison Avenue location.

Called "La Nuit du Gâteau" (Cake Night), the red carpet event will be open to the public and free of charge. Guests will enjoy complimentary tastings of a wide variety of desserts and pastries. The event, which will also feature live jazz music, will be held rain or shine under a tent along the sidewalk in front of the boutique.

The event will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of La Maison du Chocolat in New York.

White truffles are among the most elusive and expensive of the all the truffle varieties and as this year's white truffle season begins (it runs October to December) the Grissini Restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong is sitting pretty. This past Friday they unveiled a much larger than average 600 gram specimen.

About as big as two baseballs, the beige beauty might not be a record-setter but it is many times larger than the 20 - 30g truffles the restaurant usually gets. Grissoni isn't disclosing how much it paid for the truffle but it will say it plans to charge customers just over $19 a gram for the delicacy, or about $11,600 total.

Bigger isn't better in terms of taste but larger truffles do have a longer shelf life and, because they're so rare, are always good for garnering a little extra publicity.

Attention Italian food lovers: this is a tour that you're not going to want to miss. This November, Dream of Italy is offering a six-night tour of Umbria during harvest time. The itinerary includes truffle hunting (with truffle dogs), followed by a truffle dinner, a tour of an olive meal to watch olives being pressed into olive oil, pizza and pasta making classes, as well as tours of Perugia and Assisi to fill up your time in between meals.

To add to the harvest vibe, accommodations are at a 17th century farm house, La Fattoria del Gelso, near Assisi, pictured above. This is now a proper hotel villa, but it's also still a working farm -- they grow the region's famous Cannara onions.

The tour cost, excluded airfare is $2,450 per person, based on double occupancy; the trip runs from November 6th-12th.

What else is there besides chocolate that generates so much passion among the sweet savvy? To satisfy those addictive cravings for sweeter than sweet chocolate treats, Godiva Chocolatier will launch a new section of luscious chocolates including bakery goods in the fall. But be forewarned...a little goes a long way as these delectables are intense. Tops among the new offerings is a Belgian chocolate flourless cake, $45, a stunning way to top off a great dinner.

Of all the names associated with fine chocolate, there are few as iconic as Godiva. Founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps, the Belgian chocolatier has since blossomed into one of the world's most celebrated, and is the winner of a Luxist award in the best truffle category.

Draps opened his first store on a cobblestone street in Brussels nearly a century ago, its name inspired by the legendary Lady Godiva. As the story goes, the medieval dame grew upset with the onerous taxes that her husband, Lord Leofric, levied upon his subjects in Coventry, England. Leofric proposed a bargain: If she could ride naked through town without any citizens eyeing her, he'd ease their financial burden. Lady Godiva did exactly that, and Leofric relented.


The name Godiva still evokes images of graciousness, luxury and sensuality. Draps first expanded the company beyond Belgium in 1958, opening a boutique in Paris. The first North American shop followed in 1966; another in Tokyo came in 1972. Today there are over 450 Godiva stores in 80 countries around the globe. Of course, its delectible chocolates can also be ordered at its online shop.

Though Godiva boats a wide range of fine chocolate candies, the chocolatier is as famous for its packaging as Lady Godiva was for her lack thereof. Godiva's signature is the Ballotin, French for "little box of chocolates." The boxes come in all manner of colors, from the traditional gold to seasonal red, and sport festive ribbons. The truffle boxes fit a wide range occasions, from the two-piece Gold Ballotin ($3.50) to the 105-piece set ($115.00).

Godiva is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award in the best chocolate category.

Of the many names associated with fine chocolate, there are few as iconic as Godiva. Founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps, the Belgian chocolatier has since blossomed into one of the world's most celebrated.

Draps opened his first store on a cobblestone street in Brussels nearly a century ago, its name inspired by the legendary Lady Godiva. As the story goes, the medieval dame grew upset with the onerous taxes that her husband, Lord Leofric, levied upon his subjects in Coventry, England. Leofric proposed a bargain: If she could ride naked through town without any citizens looking at her, he'd ease their financial burden. Lady Godiva did exactly that, and Leofric relented.


The name Godiva still evokes images of graciousness, luxury and sensuality. Draps first expanded the company beyond Belgium in 1958, opening a boutique in Paris. The first North American shop followed in 1966; another in Tokyo came in 1972. Today there are over 450 Godiva stores in 80 countries around the globe. The chocolates can also be ordered at its online store.

Though Godiva is famous for its truffles, the chocolatier also produces a wide range of fine chocolate candy. Delectable offerings include milk chocolate pretzels ($22 per can), caramel pecan bark ($25 per tin) and chocolate bars ranging from white chocolate to almond to raspberry ($70 per 24-piece box). Unlike the original Lady Godiva, all sweets come wrapped in gold foil packaging.

Of the many names associated with fine chocolate, there are few as iconic as Godiva. Founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps, the Belgian chocolatier has since blossomed into one of the world's most celebrated, earning it a Luxist award nomination in the best chocolate candy category.

Draps opened his first store on a cobblestone street in Brussels nearly a century ago, its name inspired by the legendary Lady Godiva. As the story goes, the medieval dame grew upset with the onerous taxes that her husband, Lord Leofric, levied upon his subjects in Coventry, England. Leofric proposed a bargain: If she could ride naked through town without any citizens looking at her, he'd ease their financial burden. Lady Godiva did exactly that, and Leofric relented.


The name Godiva still evokes images of graciousness, luxury and sensuality. Draps first expanded the company beyond Belgium in 1958, opening a boutique in Paris. The first North American shop followed in 1966; another in Tokyo came in 1972. Today there are over 450 Godiva stores in 80 countries around the globe. The chocolates can also be ordered at its online store.

Though Godiva is famous for its truffles, the chocolatier also produces a wide range of fine chocolate candy. Delectable offerings include milk chocolate pretzels ($22 per can), caramel pecan bark ($25 per tin) and chocolate bars ranging from white chocolate to almond to raspberry ($70 per 24-piece box). Unlike the original Lady Godiva, all sweets come wrapped in gold foil packaging.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best chocolate. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.

In 2009, the Luxist Awards has featured several articles in the Cadillac-ipedia that have offered tips ranging from how to serve, pair, store and enjoy a variety of festive dishes and libations, from truffles and foie gras to cheese, sustaiable caviar and of course, Champagne.

Here a few of our favorite tips with links to all of the relevant articles, to help you plan your holiday festivities.

Serving cheese
Remove from refrigerator one hour before serving to guests. Cheese is best consumed at room temperature. Don't slice the cheese until after it reaches room temperature.

Serving fondue
Fondue can be served as an appetizer, dessert, or even a full three-course meal. Traditionally, fondues are created with melted cheese, which is usually a blend of two different varieties of cheese. The fondue is often served with bread, vegetables and fruit. If served as a main course, broth or seasoned cooking oil is heated in the fondue pot, while chicken, beef, seafood and vegetables can be cooked at the table. A variety of dipping sauces can provide more flavor. Fondues consisting of molten chocolate is a delicious dessert, with bananas, strawberries and marshmallows great options for dipping.

Serving foie gras
Foie gras, which is the French word for "fat liver" is a delicacy in French cuisine. Its flavor is described as rich, buttery and delicate. It is served as a mousse, parfait or pâté.

Caviar options beyond Beluga
The finest caviar often comes from the sturgeon, a fish that has become endangered in many areas, including the Caspian Sean. There are a variety of other options available to avoid further depleting the ocean's resources. One Readers' Choice nominee, Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, raises its fish sustainably in Northern California. It's online operation offers caviar, roe, smoked delicacies and an array of caviar accessories.

Serving Champagne
The pouring temperature of Champagne will vary depending on the kind you will be serving. Young non-vintage champagne, with no year on the label, should be poured around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit). Mature wines, on the other hand, such as vintage Champagne, should be poured between 12 to 14 degrees Celsius (54 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit). Champagne goes well with pasta salads, sea food, oysters, shrimps, light fishes and antipasti. It also goes well with a cheese course as well as with many desserts.

Truffles are prized for their distinct flavor and scarcity, and have long been associated with fine dining and upper class society. There are as many as 70 varieties of truffles known around the world, each with their own unique set of characteristics and qualties.

Italian White Piedmont Truffle Found almost exclusively in the mountains and foothills of northern Italy and Yugoslavia, Italian white truffles are some of the most prized of all the truffle varieties and also usually the most expensive. They grow alongside Poplar, Beech, Hazelnut, and Oak trees and are light beige in color when fresh with a distinct peppery quality.

French Black Perigord Truffle Originating in the oak forests of the Perigord region of central and southwestern France, black truffles can now be found growing in Spain, Australia, and even the United States. Also on the list of the most valued truffles, they have a black or dark blue exterior when fresh and a pungent, earthy scent.

Oregon Truffles Available in white, brown, and black varieties (each with their own unique characteristics) they are found in the Pacific Northwest and are usually associated with stands of Douglas Fir trees. The Oregon Brown Truffle especially has a strong garlic odor.

Burgundy/Summer Truffle Originally from France, Italy, and Spain but now also found in Sweden and New Zealand, Summer Truffles are most abundant in the mid-summer months and have a light scent with a black or burgundy exterior and a much lighter interior.

Chinese Truffles are native to Southern China, have a fairly mild aroma, and are usually less expensive than other varieties.

Desert Truffles are also sometimes called 'lightning truffles' because of their fast growth habit after a rain. Found in Africa and the Middle East, they grow just under the sand after a thunderstorm alongside the roots of rock roses.