Aperitifs & hot starters

Ingredients :

• 8 slices of sandwich bread
• 200g of white ham
• 200g of shredded cheese
• 1 black truffle (around 40g)
• 50g of butter
• 30g of flour
• 300mL of whole milk
• 1 tbsp. of black truffle oil
• Salt, pepper, nutmeg

Variant :

For an even more gourmet version, you can replace the ham with chicken breast and the butter with truffle butter.

Preparation :

1. Melt 30g of butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Gradually incorporate the milk while whisking to achieve a smooth béchamel sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg, then add a tablespoon of truffle oil or some grated truffle.
2. Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce on one side of each slice of sliced bread. Place a slice of ham on 4 slices of bread, add a handful of grated cheese and grate some of the truffle on top. Close with another slice of bread, béchamel side down.
3. Heat a frying pan with a little butter or use a croque-monsieur maker. Brown the croques for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy.
4. Arrange the croques in a dish, cover with the remaining béchamel sauce and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Place under the broiler at 200°C for 5 minutes for a nicely gratinated surface.
5. Grate the remaining truffle over the hot croques just before serving, to maximise their flavour.

Difficulty :

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Preparation :

1. Cut the baguette into 1cm-thick slices.
2. Rub the bread with the garlic and spread with a thin layer of good butter (you can also use garlic butter).
3. Toast the bread.
4. Sprinkle the bread with slices of truffle and add a few drops of olive oil and hazelnut oil, mixed together beforehand.
5. Place in the oven for a few moments and add a pinch of fleur de sel.

Ingredients :

• 1 black truffle (winter, preferably)
• 1 baguette
• Olive oil
• Hazelnut oil
• Garlic, butter, fleur de sel

Variant :

You can replace the fresh truffle by  truffle carpaccio, truffle peelings or some minced summer black truffle

Difficulty :

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Ingredients :

• 250mL of milk
• 70g of butter
• 50g of flour
• 50g of grated Gruyère
• 4 eggs (separate the yolks and whites)
• 1 tbsp. of crème fraîche
• 1 black truffle (around 40g)
• Nutmeg, salt and pepper

Variant :

Instead of black truffles, you can also use some minced summer black truffle

Preparation :

1. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon without letting it colour. Pour in the milk gradually, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Season to taste.
3. Allow to cool before adding the egg yolks, one at a time, and finally the salt, pepper, finely chopped fresh truffle, cream, grated nutmeg and grated Gruyère. Keep mixing. Add the stiffly beaten egg whites (add a pinch of salt when beating). Mix gently.
4. Pour the mixture into a buttered soufflé dish.
5. Bake in the oven over a medium heat for around 25 minutes.

Difficulty :

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Preparation :

1. Roll out the dough and cut out 8 rounds with a pastry cutter.
2. On 4 rounds, place 1 slice of foie gras, then some truffle carpaccio and another slice of foie gras. Cover with another pastry round and close the edges.
3. Brush with egg yolk and bake at 180°c until golden brown (or at thermostat 5-6, for 15 minutes). Serve warm or hot.

Ingredients :

• 1 roll of puff pastry
• 100g of duck foie gras
• Summer black truffle carpaccio
• 1 egg yolk
• Salt, pepper

Variant :

You can replace the carpaccio by some fresh truffle, some minced summer black truffle, peelings or broken black winter truffles

Difficulty :

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Ingredients :

For 4 people :

• 1 squash (for example: pumpkin, red kuri squash, or butternut squash), preferably organic.
• 1 black truffle (around 40g)
• 25g of truffle butter
• 1 white onion
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 chicken stock cube (or vegetable stock)
• Salt, pepper
• 300mL of crème fraîche

Variant :

Instead of grating the fresh truffle, you can also finely chop it and mix it with 40g of mascarpone. Separately, whip 100mL of very cold crème fraîche and, once whipped, gently combine the two creams. Just before serving, add a tablespoon to each plate.

Difficulty :

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Preparation :

1. Sauté the chopped onion with the butter in a small amount of olive oil to prevent the butter from burning.
2. Once it has sweated well, add the diced pumpkin with skin (if organic), bay leaf, chicken stock, salt and pepper.
3. Top with water, cover and leave to cook over a low heat for a good hour to allow the flavor to intensify.
4. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, add the crème fraiche, blend well and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
5. Just before serving, grate the truffle over each bowl.