DINING

6 ways to get a truffle experience in Asheville, from dining room to farm

Mackensy Lunsford
Asheville Citizen Times

It's hard to describe the flavor of a truffle.

In this case, we're talking about the delightfully pungent fungus that grows in the soil near the roots of trees, and bears the flavor of its surrounds. Truffles are at once sweet and savory, mushroomy and rich, and even those many adjectives fail at an accurate description. 

As hard as it is to talk about truffles, it's much harder to cultivate them, though that hasn't stopped some Western North Carolina growers from trying. Author and chef Susi Gott Séguret will offer a tour of one of those farms as the organizer behind the Asheville Truffle Experience, Feb. 7-9. 

The farm tour and truffle hunt takes place at a truffle orchard at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. Visitors can watch Monza the truffle dog, accompanied by trainer Lois Martin of the Truffle Dog Co., hunt for Tuber melanosporum, or the black Perigord truffle.

That particular variety is a favorite of Séguret, who describes its flavor as "earthy, musky, floral, sensuous, pungent, sexy, sweet, dark, dusky, oaky, nutty, savory."

A fresh-dug winter truffle from a Western North Carolina orchard.

Ephemeral but distinctive flavor

Séguret's enthusiasm for truffles grabbed her "out of the blue" when she lived in Europe, the traditional home of the truffle. 

She was attending a Slow Food convivium in southern France, where she tasted and explored several types, including the Italian white truffle, which fetches more than $4,000 per pound.

In a flash of synchronicity, when Séguret returned to her home just south of Paris, she read a New York Times article about truffle cultivation in East Tennessee.

"And it was astonishing to me that, here I am in France investigating truffles, and they're growing right next to me where I grew up," said the Madison County native. 

Truffles make basics 'extraordinary'

Truffles' magic in part lives in its ephemeral flavor, only at its strongest for two weeks. After that, it loses some complexity. 

Truffle Scallop Mille-Feuille from Cooking with Truffles: A Chef's Guide.

But should you catch one at its peak, it has the power to elevate a dish to magical heights, Séguret said. Even better, it's at its best when paired with the cheapest, most basic ingredients, including eggs, rice, pasta and cream, she added. "You can bring ordinary ingredients to an extraordinary level with the use of truffle."

Séguret, whose book "Cooking With Truffles: A Chef's Guide" should be released in February, said her passion lies in educating chefs and consumers about how to properly use and store truffles. 

Whole, raw eggs, for example, make a perfect perch for the truffles, which in turn infuse the egg with flavor through its permeable shell. 

Complexity in cultivation

To land truffles among the many specialty products cultivated in Western North Carolina would be a coup for local agriculture. But in their quest to test the potential of this new crop, farmers have found keeping host trees healthy a challenge. 

"The Eastern Filbert Blight has made growing truffles on filberts a big challenge in this region," explained Jeanine Davis, an extension specialist and researcher in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University.

Her department is exploring other blight-resistant host trees while working to find the best production method for local truffles.

Truffles will impart to eggs a distinctive and earthy fragrance.

Researchers have found some success at the Waynesville demonstration and research orchard, Davis said. "So the method we are using does work."

She expects truffles to grow in popularity with farmers. Even so, they're likely to remain a niche crop. 

"Even if we figure it all out on how to grow them, it is expensive to start an orchard, you have to maintain it for many years before you get your first truffle, and you really need to have a trained dog."

Read more: Black Périgord Truffles in NC

Susi Gott Séguret with a fresh-dug WNC truffle.

Séguret hopes educating consumers and chefs about truffles will help create a larger consumer market. "So when truffle growers have spent 10 years of their lives bringing this ingredient to fruition, it won't be lost in consumers' perception of it," said 

But perhaps it's the lack of perception of truffles that might be the biggest uphill battle.

Let's fix that: 

Get a truffle experience in Asheville

The Asheville Truffle Experience kick-off, Feb. 7-9, features multiple events centered around the Périgord, or black winter truffle.

The event begins at 5 p.m. Feb. 7, with a welcome tasting at the Benjamin Walls Gallery, 38 Broadway St., featuring truffled appetizers by Strada chef/owner Anthony Cerrato, truffle ice cream from Ultimate Ice Cream and Celtic music from Aoife Clancy and Bill Elliott. Ticketing information can be found at ashevilletruffle.com for this and events below.

Truffle education and market: On Feb. 8, the Asheville Truffle Experience continues with a Truffle 101 educational session featuring several truffle experts. 10 a.m.-noon, location to be determined. 

The afternoon has a culinary demo and tasting, 2-3 p.m., location to be determined. A Truffle Market will take place in the Haywood Park Hotel atrium from 4-6 p.m., featuring truffle products, services and truffled popcorn. 

Perigord truffles might soon become a locally grown delicacy.

Truffle Extravaganza dinner: On Feb. 8, chef Peter Crockett cooks a truffle-focused dinner at Isa's Bistro with four courses and an intermezzo: truffled bone marrow parfait; truffle honey-glazed pastry of mushroom duxelles and tomme cheese; truffle agnolotti with pork trotter consommé and shaved truffles; and a black truffle dessert trio. Dinner begins with a reception at 6:30.  

Truffle farm visit: On Feb. 9, 10-noon, head out to the truffle orchard at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, overseen by Dr. Jeanine Davis, to learn about truffle cultivation and to watch a truffle dog hunt for truffles.  

Go to Vivian: Not going to the Asheville Truffle Experience? This River Arts District restaurant consistently has truffles on the menu, said co-owner and general manager Shannon McGaughey. "They are always shaved on top of our bacon-wrapped filet mignon, which is served with seared foie gras, sherry demi glace and toast."

Truffles appear on Vivian's oft-changing menu frequently, recently found in a dish of beets confited in beef tallow and served with beet-greens pesto. Don't see anything truffle-infused on the menu that suits? McGaughey said the kitchen will shave truffles over just about anything for an upcharge. Vivian is at 348 Depot St.

Mackensy Lunsford is an award-winning staff writer for the Asheville Citizen Times, former professional line cook and one-time restaurant owner.

Reach me:mlunsford@citizentimes.com.

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