If you're lucky enough to get real truffles, a simple pasta with truffles should be one of the first things you make. It can be as simple as buttered noodles with fresh truffles shaved on top, or something more involved if I have the time and ambition. You can also use homemade truffle oil or truffle butter made from black or white truffles. Today I'll walk you through some of the many ways you can make it your own, without breaking the bank.
Chef's Tips & Variations
This is one of the easiest truffle recipes I know of, but there's also many different ways you can make a simple pasta dish with truffles. Here's the best tips I have:
- Don't overthink it. There's nothing wrong with simply shaving fresh truffles over buttered noodles with parmesan. In fact, I suggest you make that first before the other versions.
- You can use winter black truffles or white truffles, and there's a number of different varieties with different aromas and price points to choose from. If you have questions on purchasing please leave a comment. I usually buy mine from trufflecart.com.
- The fresher they are, the better the truffle flavor will be. After 3-4 days in the fridge all truffles will start to lose their aroma and you will need to add more of them for the same effect.
- Commercial products like canned truffles are often lacking in flavor or made with synthetic ingredients. While there's nothing wrong with making pasta with truffle oil from a store, it's nothing compared to making it fresh yourself.
- You can make truffled pasta with homemade truffle oil, truffle butter, truffled egg yolks, or as I show in the "Truffle Master Carbonara" a mix of a few different methods.
- If you don't have fresh, truffle slices that you've preserved in oil are a great substitute, and one of the best ways to preserve fresh truffles.
- Garlic is good with any of the pastas listed here but you don't need a lot. You can sweat ¼ teaspoon in a little oil in a pan before tossing with the pasta.
- Don't eat the dish fast, and make sure to breathe while you're chewing to savor the aroma.
How to Make Pasta with Truffles
I'm going to go over two different ways I like to make the pasta. A simple pasta with cream, and a carbonara version where an egg yolk is infused with chopped truffles before beating with hot pasta right before serving.
Pasta with Cream and Black Truffle
Warm a few tablespoons of cream in a small sauté pan and add a thick slice of truffle butter if you have some. Add cooked pasta, a small amount of chopped truffle and parmesan cheese, mix in the pan off the heat just to warm it.
Finish the pasta at the table with sliced fresh truffles and serve. If you have enough, I recommend shaving more over each serving half way through eating.
White Truffle Pasta Carbonara
This is a creamy, rich pasta thickened with an egg yolk infused with truffle aroma.
I'm using Alba white truffles in the pictures, but you can use any variety to make this. The first thing to do is to beat an egg yolk with a tablespoon or two of cream and add finely chopped truffle. The egg is allowed to infuse for 30-60 minutes.
When it's time to make the pasta, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the noodles until al dente. Remove the noodles to a small metal mixing bowl and put it on top of the hot pasta water. Add the truffled egg mixture and a spoonful of parmesan cheese.
beat the noodles quickly to warm up the egg and thicken it, then serve.
What to Serve with Truffle Pasta
This is a small pasta meant to be an appetizer or pasta course as it's very rich. Here's a few ideas of things you could pair it with to make a nice meal.
- For a very special occasion, make an entire truffle themed menu with them, serving this as the pasta course.
- For a light menu or lunch, serve a dish of simple sauteed spinach alongside the pasta with a glass of champagne.
- Roasted chicken with a green salad or a sauteed green beans is a perfect thing to serve afterward.
- A small serving of nice steak makes a good main course too.
- If it's a special occasion, serve the pasta with a glass of dry champagne or prosecco.
Related Posts
Simple Fresh Truffle Pasta
Equipment
- 1 3 quart pasta pot
- 1 2 quart metal mixing bowl
- 1 1 cup mixing bowl optional, for the carbonara version only
Ingredients
- 4 oz Dried tagliatelle, fettuccine or spaghetti or use your favorite pasta shape
- Kosher salt, to taste a pinch
Creamy Truffle Pasta
- ¼ Cup Heavy cream
- ½ oz Sliced fresh truffles for serving
- 3 Tbsp Grated parmesan cheese, separated
- 3 Tbsp Homemade truffle butter optional
Truffled Pasta Carbonara
- ½ oz Sliced fresh truffles for serving
- 5 grams (2 tsp) finely chopped fresh truffle
- ¼ cup Heavy cream
- 1 Large Egg yolk
- 3 Tbsp Grated parmesan cheese, separated
Instructions
Creamy Pasta
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat the cream on low heat in a small 8 inch saute pan.
- Add the pasta, truffle butter and 1 tablespoon of the cheese, mix, taste the seasoning and adjust for salt and serve in two small warmed pasta bowls.
- Garnish with sliced fresh truffle, shaving more on top halfway through eating for extra credit if you can.
Pasta Carbonara
- Mix the chopped truffle, egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Cover with cling film and allow to infuse for 30-60 minutes. You can also use an egg that's been stored in a jar with truffles.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
- Transfer the pasta to a small mixing bowl and put it on top of the still hot pasta water. Add the truffled egg mixture and the cheese and beat with chopsticks or tongs until thickened (about 30 seconds).
- Transfer the pasta to two small, warmed pasta bowls, garnish with sliced fresh truffles and the remaining parmesan and serve. Sometimes I add some sliced chives.
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