Chef Improv

Ad lib in the kitchen again! I have a friend whose family always made a meal out of popcorn on Sunday night. I believe they had some kind of Sunday afternoon supper that was more substantial. Anyway, I flirt from time to time with that tradition. Tonight I made popcorn again and an idea struck me like a lightening bug.... I saw on the menu of a nearby gourmet sandwhich shop an option for their fries... Truffle salt. Since that is one of my favorite flavor blasters, I was game to try popcorn seasoned with some drips of pure melted butter and shaken about with truffle salt. If you like the flavor truffle - this is great! It is so like an American to take something so SERIOUS as truffle salt and put it on a snack thing like pop-corn. Herbert is the chef at a farm B&B in Southern France where we stayed. He gave me the low down on truffle usage. Never toss it in a stew or anything complex. the flavor needs to be noticed against the most simple ingredients like a scrambled egg. Popcorn is pretty simple indeed and it was tastey!

Recently I bought some delicious dried Porcini linguine at a favorite Italian Market in Seattle's Pike Place Market. For a simple meal, I tossed the cooked hot pasta with a few tablespoons of rich organic cream and a scattered teaspoon or so of Truffle salt. Not sure if I had a little parsley or anything but it was delicious. I also add it to cream of mushroom soup, omletes, risotto, and any number of other things that I can't think of right now.

How do you use Truffle whatever... salt, oil, the real thing. And if the real thing, how do you afford to buy it?