truffle

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).

Gallery: Alain Ducasse's Benoit New York

Truffles are among the most expensive and prized delicacies on earth. A member of the fungi family, they are incredibly expensive because of their scarcity. In fact, it is not unheard of for large ones, which are extremely rare, to command six figure prices.

Typically roundish but lumpy in appearance, they have an intense flavor. They are typically used sparingly, due to their strong earthy flavor, but also because of their expense.

In Europe, specially-trained truffle dogs and pigs, both of which have a keen sense of smell, are used to locate mature truffles buried underground. The fungus that makes truffles can only survive and thrive in certain soil conditions and have symbiotic relationships with the roots of specific species of trees. The fungus attaches itself to a tree root, typically oak, beech, hazel or birch, and produce one truffle per year. The aroma and flavor of truffles differ, depending on the type of tree where they grew.

Prized truffles include the French black truffle, which is found in the Périgord region of southwest France. Italy is known for its white truffles, many of which are from the Piedmonte and Umbria regions.

Combining cake and chocolate truffles, this is the ultimate Valentine's Day dessert. The Chocolate Truffle Box Cake has a Bourbon vanilla cheesecake with a macadamia nut crust at its center and is surrounded by a white and dark chocolate box. Not just for decoration, the box lid actually comes off to reveal a layer of large chocolate truffles arranged in white chocolate "tissue paper." You have to eat or remove the truffles before getting to the cheesecake, which should not be too much of a sacrifice for a chocolate-lover, and you are unlikely to find a more well-presented cake anywhere. Price: $180.

There are a lot of expensive cocktails in the world, but there are none that use the not-so-secret ingredient that makes New York's Tini Ristorante's Truffletini so special. That ingredient, of course, is white truffle. The drink consists of Stoli peach and orange, Grand Marnier, and mango juice, shaken and then topped with a generous amount of white truffles shavings. The restaurant serves a small $95 version and a large $165 version, which comes in a 3-foot tall, 74-ounce glass that probably looks impressive but is difficult to drink from. Daniel, from NY Mag's Grub Street described it as tasting like " a creamsicle that's been rubbed down with garlic."

Yum - but I'll pass, all the same.

Although they look like small dolls or children's toys, these little Halloween characters are actually fancifully decorated chocolate truffles from teucher chocolates. The truffles are available either in champagne or "assorted" flavors, though the latter choice seems a little strange because the chocolates are sold individually. You can buy one to treat yourself, but they would make even better treats for adults at a Halloween party, since their packaging makes them seem fun, while the high-quality chocolate truffles will make even a chocolate connoisseur's mouth water. Price: $10 each.