Truffle butter is a luxurious compound butter that is infused with the flavor and aroma of rare, expensive truffle mushrooms. It delivers an intense, earthy, garlicky punch of flavor to anything it's added to, elevating everyday foods into elegant gourmet treats.
Truffle butter can be made with both white truffles and black truffles, though black truffle butter is more common. Fresh truffles are minced and incorporated into softened, high-quality butter along with seasonings like salt, herbs, truffle oil, or truffle salt.
The resulting butter logs are then chilled to allow the flavors to meld. Truffle butter can keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for several months.
Truffle Butter Ingredients
Authentic truffle butter requires just a few simple ingredients:
- Butter - Use high-quality, cultured, or European-style butter for the best flavor. Unsalted butter allows you to control the saltiness.
- Fresh truffles - Fresh truffle is ideal but expensive. Black summer truffles are more affordable. You can also use truffle paste or pâté.
- Salt - A pinch of salt balances the flavors. Other spices can also be added.
- Truffle oil (optional) - A drop or two reinforces the truffle taste.
The key is high-quality ingredients, as the deep musky truffle flavor carries the butter. Cheap truffle oil or artificial flavors make an inferior product.
How Is Truffle Butter Made?
Making truffle butter at home is surprisingly easy. The basic steps are:
- Soften butter to room temperature.
- Mince fresh truffle or measure out truffle paste.
- Combine truffle and softened butter.
- Beat until fully incorporated.
- Form into a log shape.
- Chill to allow flavors to meld.
Many recipes also whip the butter after adding an ice cube to make it lighter and fluffier. The ice-cold temperature firms up the emulsification.
Truffle Butter Flavor
So what does truffle butter taste like? The flavor will vary slightly based on the variety of truffles used. But in general truffle butter delivers an ultra-rich butteriness paired with the earthy, musky, garlicky flavors of truffle mushrooms.
The truffles impart a lovely background note of forest floors and damp woodlands that plays well with the creamy fat of the butter. There are also hints of nuttiness and umami.
When spread atop a piece of bread, the aroma is intoxicating - floral, piney, and mushroomy. It's a true taste of luxury.
How To Use Truffle Butter
This versatile compound butter elevates everything it touches. Here are some of the best ways to use black or white truffle butter:
- Pan-seared steaks
- Burgers and meatloaf
- Mashed potatoes
- Pasta
- Risotto
- Scrambled eggs
- Popcorn
- Toast
- Roasted vegetables
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
A slice of truffle butter atop fresh steak or burger lets the butter melt down into the meat, permeating it with flavor. Mixing it into mashed potatoes or pasta combines its richness with the starch.
You can even use it baked into cookies, cakes, or frosting for desserts with a sophisticated edge.
Make Compound Butter With Other Flavors
The basic compound butter technique used for truffle butter can be adapted to make all kinds of flavored butter. Almost any herb, spice, vegetable, or aromatic you can think of can be processed into butter.
Some other compound butter ideas include:
- Lemon butter
- Honey butter
- Garlic herb butter
- Blue cheese butter
- Jalapeño lime butter
- Rosemary brown butter
Let your imagination run wild combining softened butter with your favorite flavors. Truffle butter is just the beginning when it comes to making decadent compound butter at home.
FAQs
What are truffles?
Truffles are a rare and expensive type of edible mushroom that grows underground near certain trees like oak and hazelnut. The different varieties include white truffles, black winter truffles, black summer truffles, and Burgundy truffles.
Are truffles healthy?
Truffles are low in fat and high in antioxidants like polyphenols. They contain iron, magnesium, vitamin C, and some B vitamins. However, their high cost limits how much most people consume.
Can you make vegan truffle butter?
Yes, by replacing the butter with a dairy-free alternative like olive oil or coconut oil. However, the flavor and texture will not be quite the same as true dairy truffle butter.
How long does truffle butter last?
Properly stored in the refrigerator, truffle butter will keep for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage, freeze truffle butter logs for 6-8 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
What dishes pair well with truffle butter?
Truffle butter pairs fantastically with beef, chicken, eggs, pasta, rice, potatoes, and vegetables. It can also be used in desserts. Anything you'd add regular butter to will be elevated by using truffle butter instead.
With its earthy truffle flavors and velvety butter richness, truffle butter is a quick and easy way to add luxury and sophistication to everyday cooking and baking. Keep a log in the freezer to pull out whenever you want to give your meal an extravagant edge.
What's the difference between black and white truffle butter?
Black truffle butter is more common and made from black summer or black winter truffles. It has an earthy, garlicky flavor. The rare white truffle butter features albino white truffles with floral, fruity notes.
Can I use truffle butter in desserts?
Yes! A small amount of truffle butter can add sophistication to shortbread cookies, frostings, cakes, or even truffle ice cream. Start with just a teaspoon at a time.
Is frozen truffle butter still good after thawing?
Properly frozen truffle butter maintains its quality and flavor for up to 8 months. Thaw logs overnight in the fridge before using. The texture may be a bit more crumbly after thawing than fresh.
Conclusion
With its unique taste of forest floors paired with creamy butter richness, truffle butter opens up endless possibilities for enhancing your meals.
Keeping homemade logs of this compound butter in the freezer lets you quickly add fancy flair to weeknight dinners or holiday feasts any time a recipe calls for butter. Truffle butter truly takes cooking and baking to a new level of luxury.