*Sponsored Feature
As we start afresh for the new year, there are still great ways to liven up your family entertaining to take you through the holiday season. Instead of serving traditional culinary nibbles—why not try something different—a truffle spread of miniature mains and classic canapés can liven up your tablescape.
I prepared a variety of porcini pasta sides and hors-d’oeuvres with truffle blends. Porcini (or ‘penny bun’ mushrooms) are amongst some of the finest mushrooms to eat. These dried porcini mushrooms are easy to use, just soak in warm water for about twenty minutes to reconstitute them. They are meaty, heady, and incredibly versatile for cooking yet favourably delicate for a creamy risotto, elegant enough to dress sauces or hearty wintry dishes.
These truffle-infused sauces are from Urbani Truffles, a family-owned company that has been a truffle enterprise for a long time (since 1850).
I would say if you’re not sure if you like truffles or if you’ve never had fresh truffles, then these are great alternatives to try. These sauces are also a marvellous gift set for any occasion as well as add to your weekly meals. Quick and easy ways for meal prepping is ideal when you have guests over because it only takes a short amount of time to create. Afterwards, you can enjoy yourself within moments of cooking.
If you’re a foodie that loves to experiment or if you have an open palate—one that welcomes delicacies and earthy flavours, then the Thrills Set might be what you’re looking for. These small cans of are packed with tasty blends of fruit and vegetables. From tomato pesto to truffle and artichoke pairings, which may seem unexpected at first but invites your senses to be a bit more adventurous in thinking outside the gourmet truffle box.
Artichokes are hearty and this marries well with the earthiness of the summer truffle taste. It’s great if you merely want a hint of truffle flavour. I have to say, I experimented with using this sauce along with our truffle risotto and it was delicious. There are unconventional options to indulge in if you want to stray from more traditional ways of using truffles and make it your own.
We loved some flavours more than others, and our top selections were the White Truffles and Porcini, Red Pesto and Truffles, and Pesto and Truffles. I served the red pesto truffle over a bed of fettuccine pasta, dressed atop with generous slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano. View the recipe here.
Tips and Inspiration:
Get your guests a luxe truffle twist! One offering that I decided to create was miniature spuds and truffle chips with a twist. There’s nothing like a hearty baked potato, be it with chilli or loaded with your favourite cheeses. But, how about with a creamy truffle sauce and all the trimmings in-between? Tip #1: Create a baked potato bar, and add mini chafing dishes filled with the Thrills set of sauces.
Tip #2: To make your dishes a tad more flavourful (that is if you are quite obsessed with truffles as I am), feel free to add preserved black truffle slices, truffle oil, or truffle salt. In this case, I added a dash of truffle salt with the toasted multi-grain bread. This is basically a vegetarian meal but loaded with flavour. For the truffle canapés, and potatoes, I used a drizzle of truffle oil with Urbani’s white truffle and porcini sauce.
The goods: Provided by Urbani Truffles, Preserved minced truffles–Truffle Hunter, Slate cutting board-(Buy it), Eco-friendly Copper & Brazilian Soapstone Tray–(Buy it), Get the easy truffle recipe here. Reed and Barton-Cutlery, Better Homes and Gardens-Plates. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.
What do you think of our subtle truffle entertaining? Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
Shop the Inspiration
