Cassell's dictionary of cookery

I Truffles, Partridges Braised with I {see Partridges Braised with Truffles). I Truffles, Potted.— Wash, brush, peel, and slice six ounces of fresh truffles. Dissolve ] a pound of fresh butter ; skim it carefully, pour I it into a basia, and let it stand two or three 1 minutes, then pour the pure oiled part away from the thick milky substance which will have settled at the bottom. Put the sliced truffles into a delicately-clean stewpan, and pour the butter gently over them. Let it stand until it is set, then put the saucepan on a slow fire, and stew the truffles very gently until they are tender. Lift them into dry preserving jars, cover them with the butter, and store them in a cool and perfectly dry place. They will keep for months, and will be a most acceptable addition to the breakfast or luncheon table. The butter which remains after the truffles are thoroughly covered, so as to exclude the air, may be potted separately, and may be used for flavouring sauces and various delicate preparations. Time to stew the truffles, twenty minutes, or more. Truffles, Preserved. — Keep them in well-corked bottles in salad-oil. Truffles, Shoulder of Lamb with {see Lamb, Shoulder of, with Truffles). Truffles Stewed in Champagne.— Take ten or twelve large truffles, soak them for a couple of hours, rinse them in several waters, and scrub them thoroughly. Lay a thin slice of fat bacon at the bottom of a stewpan, put in the truffles, and add half a tea-spoonful of salt, and a little grated nutmeg, and, if liked, a carrot, a turnip, a bunch of green onions, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thjTiie, a bay-leaf, two or TRU ( 999 ) TUR three cloves, and a blade of mace. Half cover the truffles with good veal stock, let them simmer half an hour, then add a bottle of dry champagne, and simmer for another half hour, keeping them very closely covered. They may cither be drained, dried, and served cold in a silver dish, or on a dish covered with a napkin, with the sauce served cold in a tureen, or they may be heated and served hot, with the liquor, strained and considerably reduced, poured over them. Time to stew the truffles, one hour. Truffles, Stuffing of, for Sucking Pig (see Pig, Sucking, Stuffing of Truffles for). Truffles, Timbale of.— Line a plain round mould with good puff paste. Take six or eight large fresh truffles ; wash and brush them thoroughly, and cut them into thin slices. Put them into a small frying-pan with two ounces of fresh butter, and a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, shake them over a brisk fire, and be careful not to break them. Drain them, and put them into the mould, place the cover on the top, make a hole in the centre for the steam to escape, and bake in a hot oven. When the pastry is done enough, make up the hole, and turn the timbale on a dish. Make an opening in the top, and pour in a small quantity of good gravy, then lay a slice of truffle in the opening, and serve. Time to fry the sliced truffle, five or six minutes. Truffles, To Prepare for Use.— Soak the truffles for one or two hours in cold water, or if necessary in lukewarm water, to loosen the earth from them. Rinse them well several times, and brush them carefully, until they are delicately clean. Dry them in a soft cloth, and pare them very thinly. The parings of truffles should be used for flavouring purposes.