Black Truffley Goodness

The basis of the Truffle Tea dish - warrigal greens, sherry jelly & sliced black truffle

THE ELUSIVE TRUFFLE has intrigued and excited human beings as far back in time as the writing of the Bible. A fungi or "tuber" which grows below the ground, the truffle is seen to most in the food world as a mysterious delicacy.

Truffles require a unique environment in which to grow, and with specially trained pigs and dogs used to find them beneath the roots of trees such as beech or oak, they can fetch thousands of dollars per kilo.

With all of this in mind, imagine a degustation menu being created with the truffle as the star. This is what Lochiel House offered on July 9th, 10th and 11th. Advertised via our mailing list*, guests were treated to a seven course menu which included dishes such as hickory smoked truffle with seared scallops, wagyu tartare with warm truffle-infused egg yolk and a fantastic dessert of truffle ice cream with banana and charcoal glass.

For us, the truffle weekend was a chance for us to showcase the amazing truffles of Milthorpe, Orange and Manjimup (WA), as well as to bring out some special international and aged wines including a 1996 Bowen Estate Cabernet from Coonawarra.

As the second truffle degustation weekend we've hosted at Lochiel (the first being in 2008), we could certainly see what a thrill it was for our guests (some of them truffle first-timers) to delight in the wonderful flavour, aroma and texture of the truffle. With the season for truffle growing now drawing to a close, we look forward to seeing what next year's crop produces, but in the meantime, here are some photos from the truffle degustation 2010.

 *if you aren't on the mailing list and would like to hear about speciality menus and other updates, please email your name and date of birth (if you would like to know about birthday offers also) to lochouse@bigpond.net.au 

 Apprentice Chef Owen soaking up the truffle aroma - and look at the size of it!

Fresh eggs absorbing the pungent flavour of the truffles ready for scrambled eggs.

Apprentice Chef Braden getting ready to serve the Hickory Smoked Truffle with Seared Scallop dish - this was presented with a bit of theatrical drama: when we lifted the glass dome, a wafting cloud of hickory smoke filled the air... all part of the culinary experience of the Truffle Degustation