Jarnac. 10 minutes from Cognac ,
Courvoisier, the fourth largest Cognac Charente .
And in season, twice weekly until the end of February, there is a fine market for Truffles. We saw the advertising for it on our last visit and I wanted to check it out, see what the fuss about this "tuber melanosporum" is all about. The tourist office told us that the market, depending on attendance and quantity available, can be over in mere 45 minutes. Sounds like a sales gimmick to get you there? Not so. Todays market was over in 60 minutes.
There was a certain
excitement in the air, people are being made line up outside an old palais and
at sharp 9.30 the rush begins. By the time I was able to get some images shot,
one guy already cleaned out a vendor and paid cash for his truffles. A lot of
cash. A Chef maybe, or a broker? No idea.
Prices for Truffles change
weekly, today they ranged from 350.00 Euros/kg, all the way to 900.00/kg. The
difference I was told is not in taste, but in size and appearance. Hard to
understand, they are all ugly to the eye, some are rounder maybe? Or my French
is not as good.
Anyway, Victoria kept
egging me on to buy one, but somewhere in my blood line is some Scottish B
influence mixed in. I found
the smallest one left in the whole market and let the vendor claw 14.00 Euros
out of my hands. Took him a while, buyer's remorse kicked in instantly.
We grated some on scrambled
eggs, laid by free range hens, which are massaged by hand daily. And groomed
too. Gotta have the right eggs for that kind of expense.
If only that lazy dog of
ours could pick up that trade and make me happy......
Post script:
I have to say that the truffle shavings on my scrambled eggs did elevate the dish for sure.
The earthiness,musky smell of them made for a very good experience.I never had truffles fresh before and learnt that most truffle oils are infused with artificial flavours instead of the real deal.
Will I rush back for buckets of them? No. Will I try to find a way to get a deal on Truffles? Yes.
It may be interesting to use them in a variety of dishes, but really, the cost is somewhat prohibitive.
PASS THE COURVOISIER
TWICE A WEEK
RIGHT NEXT TO HINE COGNAC
SMALLER THAN EXPECTED
IT ONLY TOOK 60 MINUTES TO SELL OUT
HE BOUGHT THE MOST THAT I COULD SEE
DIFFERENT QUALITIES
OUR BOUNTY,LARGE ENOUGH FOR SCRAMBLED EGGS AND SOME TRUFFLE SALT
I COULD HAVE BOUGHT 84 FREE RANGE EGGS INSTEAD
LACK OF EQUIPMENT MADE ME SHAVE IT VERY VERY SMALL
WITH A SIDE OF GLUTEN FREE TOAST
HMMMM. OLD DOG, NEW TRICK?
LAZY DOG. TIME TO GET TO WORK.
3 comments:
You didn't say whether the truffle on the eggs was good or not.
Yes, you are right Monsieur Ken.
Alright then. I have to say that the truffle shavings on my scrambled eggs did elevate the dish for sure.
The earthiness,musky smell of them made for a very good experience.
I never had truffles fresh before and learnt that most truffle oils are infused with artificial flavours instead of the real deal.
Will I rush back for buckets of them? No. Will I try to find a way to get a deal on Truffles? Yes.
It may be interesting to use them in a variety of dishes, but really, the cost is somewhat prohibitive.
Truffles have to be experienced at least once. I am glad you did and for 14 Euros, you could even do this once a year.
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