Truffle Time! -- Fiera Del Tartufo At The Met

[Pigging by Wilfrid: October 16, 2013]

Last Friday, the ribbon was cut on the 2013 white truffle season.  I mean officially: in Alba, the white truffle capital of the world. And we were on a live TV link from the Met Museum's elegant Terrace Room.

Evening in Alba, lunchtime in New York, truffle time everywhere--if you were lucky.

The invitation, from Regione Piemonte, the City of Alba, and associated tourist boards and agencies, could hardly have been more welcome.  "Come," it might as well have said, "and be showered with white truffles." Why not?

The dark clouds, driving rain, and diminished views of Central Park from the Terrace Room's windows could not put a damper on an occasion like this.

The occasion, quite specifically, was the opening of the Truffle Festival in Alba, and we had the due speeches and be-sashed dignitaries, ribbon-cutting (literally) and grand entrance on the truffles--both here and on the big screen.  Our local M.C. was the storied Lidia Bastianich of Felidia.

The truffles arrived in a basket born by a very jolly Italian gentleman, who was some sort of truffle master.  He did all the shaving too. And yes, that would be the estimable David Rosengarten in the background.

A festive meal--"A Taste of Langhe"--was prepared by chef Ugo Alciati, jetted in from the Michelin-starred Guido di Pollenza, on the road between Alba and Bra.

A simple and untruffled appetizer: roasted yellow pepper stuffed with a creamy tuna salad.  This dish was lifted by the fresh dill, worth incorporating in each forkful.

The next course also showed up nude of any tuber magnatum shavings. It was a tartare of veal filet, interestingly seasoned not with the usual shower of salt, pepper, capers, and something spicy, but simply with some crushed anchovies.

And then the truffle guy showed up, preceded by that powerful aroma of childhood and paradise.

And he evidently did a good job. According to Lidia Bastianich, restaurant truffle prices should be around $8.50 a gram this year (and Felidia has them already).  That means, unfortunately, adding $40-$50 to the price of a dish for the usual, recommended 5-6 grams.  There was more than 5-6 grams here.

Then--first time, I admit--I got to handle a whole one.  This weighed around 125 grams (you can figure out the value).  I didn't plan to wash my hands for a week, but of course the smell soon evaporated.

I was looking for something warm to encourage the pungency, and a simple Carnaroli risotto was exactly what was needed--that, or scrambled eggs.  I was a bit disturbed by what appeared to be a sprinkling of brown sugar. Silly me.  Toasted breadcrumbs for texture.

Shave that truffle, and shave it again.

Or just let me get my nose right into it and leave it there for six months.

Of the good wines served, I have to single out the Barbaresco "Asiji," 2010.  Structured tannins, but already approachable, and a fruit-and-mushroom natural accompaniment for the risotto.

Time, then, to stand around and feel understandably pleased with outselves, and chef Alciati, wondering whether the zabaglione would ever make an appearance.

For those who plan to incorporate Alba truffles into their fall dining experience, I salute you. For those who don't, thank you for living vicariously through this post. If that makes sense.