Ice cream and mushrooms are two mutually exclusive tastes in my book. Luckily, truffles aren’t really mushrooms. They are fungi — but not in the sense of a shitake or a porcini. They are the fruiting body of a species of fungi that propagates itself much like other fungi do. Nor are they particularly closerly related to what we normally think of as fungi.
They are really in a class all of their own.
And while I am not one who believes that all strange tastes lend themselves to good ice creams — green tea ice cream? blech — I can say that truffle ice cream, when made with Oregon spring black truffles, is delicate and interesting enough to be worth the expense of a single truffle.
The recipe I used is from the FOOD Network and calls for “honey cream.” If anyone knows what that is, please enlighten me. I had no idea, and couldn’t find it online, so I just added some honey to some cream.
This, by the way, is not something you want to read on your online recipes…
“This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.”
Truffle ice cream hits the tongue cool and earthy, but then mellows out as the tongue picks up the cream, sugar and honey. The lingering flavor at the end is sweet truffle, which tastes something like mushroomy chocolate that’s been sifted through peat moss.
“I’m not sure that I can eat a whole bowl of this,” I said.
Brother-in-law Steven looking at me, looking at his dish.
“Um… I can,” and he spooned another mouthful.
I must have underestimated myself, because the truffle ice cream grew on me. I ate two bowls. They were small. Still, if given a choice, I’d take a baci gelato or a maracuya sorbet over truffle ice cream any day of the week.
mmmmm…..I don’t know if you noticed, but I had either four or five bowls while you were bustling and doing other things. I think that was the best flavor of ice cream I have ever had.
I did notice. And I can’t think of a worthier place for truffle ice cream to land… in the mouth of a true connoisseur.
[...] .5 very big truffle used for truffle ice cream [...]
Thanks for sharing! If you’re still interested in finding out a recipe for honey cream, you can find one here: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Food/honeycream.html It’s indulgently amazing!
Creamed honey i think is whipped honey just by a different named, also green tea ice cream is supes yummy!
I can’t believe you don’t like green tea ice cream!