Bruno’s Truffle Omelette

 

Vinny loves all things “eggs,” but a morning omelet is one of his favorites. So when he found a recipe for a truffle omelet from Bruno, Chief of Police of the fictional village of St. Denis in the heart of the Dordogne in France, Vinny couldn’t resist. He ran out and splurged on a VERY expensive truffle, and had some fun.

Bruno is a character invented by the world-reknown author, journalist and expert on International affairs Martin Walker. Walker splits his time between Washington D.C. and a village in the heart of the Dordogne, where he bases his mysteries featuring Bruno. His books are filled with the culinary delicacies of the area, as Bruno is a first-class chef as well as a fine detective. If you like Bruno, there are 15 crime novels you can choose from, and more on the way. You can sample some of Bruno’s favorite recipes on line, but try as I might, I could find no copies of “Bruno’s cookbook”, penned with his wife Julia Watson. I borrowed Bruno’s recipe here from Diane Rehm’s blog.

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Bruno’s recipe for omelette aux truffles
Serves 2

• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 1 clove garlic
• pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 truffle
• 1 tablespoon truffle-flavored olive oil

1. Put four eggs in their shell and a truffle in a sealed container and leave it on the counter overnight.
2. The next day, using a fork, whip the eggs together with a teaspoon of cold water.
3. Crush a clove of garlic. Then chop it finely and whip it into the eggs with pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Pour a tablespoon of truffle oil into a hot frying pan and keep on a high heat. When a drop of water sizzles in the oil, add the egg mixture. Every time the base looks like setting, use a wooden or plastic spatula to keep the liquid mixture flowing to the bottom of the pan, under the setting egg.
5. Once the liquid no longer flows easily, shake the pan to ensure the base is not sticking and then add three slices of truffle. Fold the omelette and then add three more slices on top.
6. Sprinkle some chopped chives or green onion slices on top and serve immediately.

Bruno’s notes

1. Because egg shells are porous, leaving whole eggs overnight on the counter, sealed in a container with a truffle, allows the flavor and the aroma of  this exotic mushroom  to seep into the eggs.
2. Use a cooking oil flavored with truffles for frying the omelette.
3. Heat the pan to sizzling hot before pouring the egg mixture into it.
4. Don’t bother adding any of your expensive truffles to the egg mixture. The heat destroys the wonderful flavor and aroma of these specialty mushrooms. Instead, add some sliced truffles once the omelet is set.
5. Use this technique, minus the truffle, to cook up any kind of omelet

Truffles store a slew of nutrients for you to mine

I’m talking here about the mushrooms that are considered a delicacy world-wide for their powerful flavor and aroma, not the chocolate-covered candies that go by the same name.

The best truffles grow wild, under the ground near the roots of deciduous trees like oak and cherry. They are rooted out by trained dogs or pigs, using their keen sense of smell.

All mushrooms are packed with good nutrition, but truffles are at the top of the heap for their powerful health effects.  Their proteins are complete, making them useful for vegetarians. Truffles are also rich in many minerals, including phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, sulfur, chlorine, and silicone. Their antioxidants may possess antibacterial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Still, current research is mostly limited to test-tube studies using concentrated truffle extracts, so it’s unclear how these beneficial properties may impact your health. Work is on-going.

That being said, truffles are usually eaten in small quantities because of their cost and strong flavor. Using them to boost the appeal of other healthy ingredients maximizes their potential benefits.

Don’t wait another minute. Cook up a story!

For maximum enjoyment, eat your omelet while reading a Bruno mystery novel.