Tempt Your Taste Buds: 5 of the Most Mouth-Watering Uses for Truffle Liqueur

The truffle season may not be in full swing until June, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get your black truffle fix now.

Truffle liqueur is one of the best ways to experience the ultimate truffle flavour. Often, when food is made from fresh truffles, the taste gets lost. But in liqueur there is no disguise. The earthy, dark, delicate and oh-so-delicious flavour flourishes.

These black beauties pair with fatty foods that bring that tang out. When you add truffle liqueur to the right dish, you unlock an intense, luxurious flavour.

How to Master the Truffle

Truffles are known as the ‘diamonds of the kitchen’ because of how rare, expensive and outrageously delightful they are. They have a distinctive smell and complex taste which plays perfectly with eggs, cheese, butter, cream, oil and chocolate. Add truffle liqueur and/or truffle oil to desserts and pasta, risotto and potato dishes.

The best truffles in Australia come from Manjimup, Western Australia. For maximum flavour and experience, we’ve infused them in our Black Truffle Liqueur - Australia’s first truffle liqueur. While we also recommend sipping this beauty by the fire in the colder months, adding it to your cooking will spark some mouth-watering flavours perfect for spring and summer entertaining.

Get your taste buds dancing with these ideas!

1. Wild Mushroom and Truffle Liqueur Pasta

Rich and creamy mushroom truffle pasta is an easy and delicious dinner great for any night of the week. If you’re a fungi lover, this one is definitely for you. The ‘king of all mushroom pasta’ and a flavoursome combination sure to seduce.

It’s a dish that brings to life the earthiness of the wild truffle and complements and enhances its hearty nutty flavour. If they’re in season, top with fresh black truffles for the full oaky, world-celebrated flavour.

Makes 4 dishes

Ingredients:

• Freshly made basic pasta or tagliatelle

• 200 g sliced mushrooms

• 2 x cloves garlic

• 1/2 cup soaked porcini mushrooms

• 300 ml cream

• Salt and pepper

• 60 ml of black truffle liqueur

• Parmesan

• Fresh truffle to garnish

Method:

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente

2. While the pasta is cooking, fry the mushrooms in a tablespoon of oil until golden

3. Add the garlic and soaked porcini and fry for a few more minutes

4. Add the cream, liquor, salt and pepper, and simmer for a few minutes

5. Add the cooked pasta straight from the pot and stir

6. Serve and top with Parmesan and fresh truffle, if in season

Tip:

Truffles (and truffle liqueur) are like perfume - less is more. Feel like adding a glass of white to your pasta meal? Our chardonnay pairs well with this recipe.

2. Truffled Vegan Mac and Cheese

Who said vegans can’t enjoy creamy truffle pasta too? Mac and cheese is a homely favourite that’s decadently delicious. It’s the comfort food we all deserve, no matter what our dietary requirements are.

A local food blogger in Perth published this recipe that packs a punch with its cheesiness and edgy twist to an old favourite. Vegan and gluten-free. He also tops it with fresh truffles handpicked in Manjimup.

For a cheeky adult twist, we recommend adding a light drizzle or two of black truffle liqueur. The Mountford Truffle Liqueur is handmade from fresh Southern Forest black truffles that are rich in flavour both on the nose and the palate.

3. Chocolate Fondant with Truffle Liqueur

Soft and creamy, these sinful chocolate fondants are guaranteed to impress at your next dinner party or date night. This is a dessert that embodies the whole truffle story. From the musty sweetness to the delicious texture, it’s the ultimate combination for anyone with a sweet tooth or mushroom obsession.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 50 g butter - to rub on dishes

• Cocoa - to dust the buttery dishes

• 200 g dark chocolate

• 200 g butter

• 200 g sugar

• 4 x eggs

• 4 x egg yolks

• 200 g flour

• 60 ml black truffle liqueur

Method:

1. Rub 8 ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa, this will make the fondants easy to remove

2. Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl, sit it over a pan of simmering water and melt them together, remove and leave to cool for ten minutes

3. Whisk the eggs and the sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy, sift in the flour, add the liqueur

4. Pour the choc mix in, whisking a bit at a time until combined

5. Divide into the ramekins

6. Sit on a tray and bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes, the middle has to be soft!

7. Leave to cool for a minute then tip out, serve with an extra drizzle of liqueur and freshly whipped cream

4. Mushroom Truffle Liqueur Cocktails

There’s a reason why truffles get infused with booze. Because it tastes so damn good!

Thanks to the creative ways people are highlighting truffles in the menus and products, truffle booze has become a special treat for many. Think truffle liqueur, truffle beer, truffle vodka and if you want to get really innovative, truffle cocktails.

This sour truffle cocktail is smooth, refreshing and screaming with flavour. For an extra boozy punch, swap the truffle oil with our black truffle liqueur.

Feeling adventurous? Try these truffle cocktail combinations. When the festive season swings around, this Black Russian alternative will also go down nicely with its rich chocolate, coffee and fungi flavours.

5. Truffled Bread and Butter Pudding

While this dish may not be calorie conscious, it’s a classic dessert that’s incredibly tasty and easy to make.

The combination works so well because eggs and truffles are an exceptional pair. The creamy texture of eggs creates the perfect platform to show off the depth and flavours of truffles, without overpowering them. Butter also enhances the taste experience for a luxurious, velvety combination.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 12 x slices white buttered bread

• 300 ml milk

• 100 ml cream

• 50 g sugar

• 2 x tsp vanilla

• 60 ml liqueur

• 3 x eggs

Method:

1. Cut the bread to fit in your chosen dish/dishes

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, whisking well

3. Pour over the bread and push down, so the liquid soaks into all of the bread

4. Once soaked up, rest for 20 minutes

5. Finish the top with sprinkled sugar, a dust of cinnamon and bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes until the top is golden

6. Serve with tons of thick cream!

Tip:

Day-old bread is better to use than fresh bread. Add a festive touch if you’re cooking this dessert over Christmas by adding raisins and a dash of Baileys to the mix.

Ready to add some truffle goodness to your next meal? There’s a special kind of magic in black truffles that cannot be denied. If you’re new to the truffle craze, they have a subtler taste than white truffles which makes them especially good when cooked into sauces - whether you use truffle oil or truffle liqueur.

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Special thanks to Sophie Budd from Taste Budds Cooking Studio for the above recipes.

What one will you be making? Share your favourites with us in the comments below!