Recipe: Truffle Oil: Caviar, Lobster and Truffle oil are quite expensive& Truffles are

perhaps the most expensive of the three. Truffles are sophisticated cousins of our common mushrooms (I might get killed for this irreverent comment). They use specially taught pigs & dogs to search for them. Here is some information on this special "mushroom":

Tuber Magnatum are white, beige or light brown with a smooth skin. The White Truffle is primarily found in the Piedmont region of Italy. White Truffles are scarcer and have more flavor than black truffles. These truffles are used raw and only shaved over the dish toward the end of preparation.

Tuber Melanosporum are brown or black, rounded, and covered with a polygonal textured skin, the skin (gleba) is first white, then black with interior white veins and light brown margin. The odor is well marked and pleasant (Note from (Gladys/PR: excuse me, the odor (Aroma depending on your taste) of truffles, even of truffle oil is quite special & only appeals to educated noses & palates). The Black Truffle is primarily found in France and Italy. It has a nutty, earthy flavor with a musky aroma. The Black Truffle is more frequently use in cooking than served raw.

Truffles are native mainly to temperate regions such as Italy and France. Truffles flourish in open woodland on calcareous soil. They are saprophytes, usually associated with the roots of trees(oak), possibly in a symbiotic relation. Because truffles often occur at depths of up to about 30 centimeters (12 inches), it is difficult to detect them unaided. Truffles, when occurring near the surface of the ground will crack the earth as they reach full size, and experienced gatherers can recognize them.

Furthermore, in the morning and evening, colonies of small yellow flies may be seen hovering over their home in the truffle. Occasionally an individual is sufficiently sensitive to the scent of truffles, however truffle hunting is usually carried on with the aid of trained pigs and dogs.

Although truffles are much desired as food, direct cultivation of truffles for commerce is difficult. Calcareous ground is cultivated and acorns or seedlings planted. Soil from known truffle grounds, is usually spread about, and the ground is kept in condition by light plowing. After three years, clearings are made and the trees pruned. If they are to appear, truffles do so only after about 5 years, but is not very profitable until 8 or 10 years have passed. The yield is at its maximum from 5 to 25 years after planting the oak trees.

I was expecting this question sooner or later, & I must apologize to purists & real gourmands because I am not that fond of them. Truffle oil is available in any Gourmet shop.