Truffle oil butter: How easy it is to make and what you can do with it
Wouldn’t it be great if you could add a lot of flavor to your cooking without much trouble?
What if I told you there’s a product that can make your food taste heavenly by only adding a little bit into your favorite recipes?
You might not believe me, but truffle butter can do all that and so much more!
Truffle butter is made by combining standard butter with truffle ingredients. This might include truffle salt, truffle oil, or even pieces of freshly grated truffle. Some types of truffle butter may even include all three of these for an incredible flavor.
The type of truffle butter you get depends on what kind of recipe you want to use it in. Black truffle butter is a little richer and earthier in flavor, while white truffle butter may taste just a bit like garlic and have a lighter feeling overall.
No matter which type you choose, it’s sure to be your new favorite cooking ingredient!
In this article, I’ll teach you about how to make truffle butter yourself at home so you don’t have to try to track it down in stores. I’ll give you a variety of different methods for making it so you won’t be limited by what’s available to you, and I’ll also provide you with suggestions for how to use it.
In the second half of the article, I’ll give you seven of my favorite truffle butter recipes to help you get started cooking with this excellent item.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
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How to Make Truffle Butter
While it is perfectly possible to purchase truffle butter from one of the leading truffle suppliers around the world, you can also make it yourself at home. This is a great DIY project for anyone who enjoys being extra hands-on and saving a bit of money in the long run, too. Best of all, if you find yourself suddenly faced with fresh truffles and unsure of how to use them, this can give you a great solution that’s pretty forgiving, too. Try one of the methods below to learn how to make truffle butter with truffle oil and with other ingredients.
Method One – With Oil
This is a great way to make truffle oil butter. If you have access to good quality truffle oil, you’re already halfway there with this simple recipe!
Ingredients
- 1-pound unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature
- Salt to taste
- White truffle oil to taste
Procedure
1. Add butter and truffle oil to a small mixing bowl.
2. Stir together well until the oil has soaked throughout the butter.
3. Adjust the amount of truffle oil as needed to be sure the butter tastes like truffles.
4. Season with salt to taste.
5. Spoon butter mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap.
6. Wrap up the butter and form it into a log about 1 inch in thickness.
7. Wrap tightly and chill in the refrigerator until needed.
Method Two – With Fleur de Sel
Fleur de sel is a unique type of sea salt that makes for an incredible flavor in any recipe. Add it to this mixture for a truffle butter that’s sure to surprise and delight.
Ingredients
- White truffle oil to taste
- Fleur de sel to taste
- 1 pound softened unsalted butter
- Jarred black truffles packed in olive oil to taste
Procedure
1. Add butter and truffle oil to a small mixing bowl.
2. Stir together well to be sure the oil saturates the butter.
3. Taste and adjust the amount of truffle oil as needed.
4. Season with fleur de sel and stir again.
5. Remove 2 to 3 slices of jarred truffle from the container and chop finely.
6. Stir into butter mixture well.
7. Turn butter mixture out onto plastic wrap.
8. Wrap tightly and shape the butter into a log.
9. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.
Method Three – With Heavy Whipping Cream
Have you been looking for a way to make butter yourself that really feels like you’re making it from scratch? With this recipe, you’ll make the butter itself by faux-churning it in a food processor.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp white truffle oil
- 1-pint heavy whipping cream
- ¼ tsp truffle salt
- 1 fresh truffle (optional)
source: http://www.inerikaskitchen.com/2010/07/how-to-make-truffle-butter.html
Procedure
1. Line a colander with coffee filters and set it in the sink.
2. Add the heavy whipping cream to your food processor.
3. Turn on the processor and let it process for 5 minutes or so.
4. When the cream in the processor sounds a bit wetter, it should be done. The solids should have separated from the liquids.
5. Remove the solids and squeeze to remove any more liquid from them.
6. Add solids to the colander and discard the liquids.
7. Knead butter in the colander to press out more liquid.
8. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
9. Press once more to remove liquid.
10. Add to a large mixing bowl along with the truffle salt and truffle oil.
11. If using fresh truffles, grate them finely into the butter mixture.
12. Use a rubber spatula to gently combine all the ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste.
13. Line a separate container with more coffee filters and place butter inside.
14. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.
Method Four – With Two Ingredients
This is probably the easiest way to make truffle butter at home, but you will need to have fresh truffles to do this recipe the right way.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2oz salted organic fresh butter
- 1oz fresh black truffles
Procedure
1. Microwave the butter a few seconds at a time to soften without melting completely.
2. Use a micro plane to grate the truffle into the butter.
3. Mix well with a fork until pieces of truffle are evenly distributed throughout the butter.
4. Place butter on a piece of plastic wrap and roll it into a log.
5. Wrap tightly and chill in the refrigerator until needed.
How to Use Truffle Butter
There are plenty of different ways you can make the most of your truffle butter. If you want to incorporate it into recipes you already know and love, try some of the following tips to add bursts of delicious truffle flavor to your favorite home cooked meals.
- Add truffle butter to your burgers. A buttery burger patty is sure to bring tons of flavor to your favorite summertime meal, and if you top your bun in a little more butter, you’ll be well on your way to food bliss in no time. Truffle butter can add a depth of flavor to burgers that you might never have thought possible before!
- Cook chicken in truffle butter. Pan-cooked chicken can get an easy upgrade when you cook it in truffle butter instead of another type of fat or oil. Try it out the next time you want to sautee a simple chicken dish with a side of veggies. Truffle butter accents chicken well and showcases its own exotic flavor when used on poultry.
- Melt truffle butter over your potatoes. Mashed, baked, scalloped or even as French fries—whichever way you like to eat your potatoes, truffle butter can make them taste amazing. Try not to overdo it with other toppings if you use truffle butter on your potatoes, so you can really enjoy the flavor.
- Stir truffle butter into rice. A simple bowl of hot cooked white rice can become something you want to enjoy again and again when you stir in a little bit of truffle butter. Just about any type of rice works well with this ingredient, since it soaks up the flavor well. Just be sure to stir it in carefully so as not to overload some parts of the rice and leave other parts unflavored.
- Sautee mushrooms in truffle butter. Mushrooms and truffles are distant relatives of each other, so they get along well in any recipe. No matter what you’re cooking, you can add a lot of excitement to your meal by cooking up some simple mushrooms in truffle butter. Add these to your truffle butter topped baked potatoes for an out of this world side dish!
- Make truffle butter scrambled eggs. Truffles and scrambled eggs go together beautifully, and many people who find themselves with fresh white truffles particularly like to incorporate them into their fluffy morning meal for a classy treat. If you have white truffle butter on hand, you can replicate this flavor easily by stirring it into your scrambled eggs before cooking or melting it over the top of them after cooking.
- Toast sandwich bread with truffle butter on top. Add your sandwich bread to the oven to cook under the broiler for a few minutes, and melt truffle butter over the top during the process. No matter what kind of sandwich you put together, this flavorful bread is sure to make it taste incredible!
- Melt truffle butter over your popcorn. Truffle popcorn is very popular, but usually, it’s made with truffle oil or even truffle salt. Try melting truffle butter over it instead to give it that traditional popcorn taste with a lot of extra flavor throughout.
Truffle Butter Recipes
Now that you know a little bit more about how to make your own truffle butter and how you can use it, it’s time to find the perfect recipe to give your new knowledge a try. Whether you’re looking for something really unique and original to try out or you just want to add truffle butter to a recipe you already feel comfortable making, the seven options below are sure to help you find the best way to get started. Pretty soon, you’ll feel like cooking with truffle butter as one of your main ingredients for just about every meal!
1. Truffle Butter Beef Tenderloin
You’ve probably had a beef tenderloin before, but never one quite like this amazing recipe. You’ll be shocked to find out just how easily you can make such an impressive dish on your own at home! This restaurant-quality beef recipe incorporates both mushrooms and truffle butter, which work together to create a rich, earthy flavor from start to finish.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: 4
source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/porcini-crusted-beef-tenderloin-with-truffle-butter-sauce-387490
Ingredients
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 6-pound whole beef tenderloin that has been trimmed
- 4 tbsp divided olive oil
- ¼ cup softened black truffle butter
- 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low sodium beef stock
- 1 pound Cremini mushrooms
- ½ cup chopped fresh chives
Procedure
1. Finely grind dried mushrooms to a powder using a blender, food processor, or mortar and pestle.
2. Wash the mushrooms and pat dry.
3. Remove the mushroom stems and discard. Quarter the caps into wedge shapes.
4. Cut the top of the tenderloin deeply about four inches from the tail side.
5. Fold the tail side under the tenderloin and tie well with a kitchen string.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and set a rack in the middle.
7. Pat the beef tenderloin dry. Season well with salt and pepper, making sure to rub the seasonings in.
8. Heat two burners on the stovetop to medium-high and place a roasting pan over both of them.
9. Add 3 tbsp of the olive oil and heat until shimmering.
10. Brown tenderloin on all sides for about 10 minutes.
11. Sprinkle powdered dried mushrooms over the tenderloin.
12. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 120 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part of the beef.
13. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir truffle butter together with flour in a small bowl.
14. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and warm until shimmering.
15. Add mushrooms and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 10 minutes or until golden.
16. Add 2 cups beef broth to skillet and use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits on the pan. Simmer for 1 minute.
17. Remove skillet from heat.
18. Remove tenderloin from oven and let stand on a cutting board for 15 minutes.
19. In the same roasting pan over two stove burners, add remaining 1 cup of beef broth and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the roasting pan with a spatula.
20. Pour boiled broth into mushroom mixture. Bring this mixture to a boil.
21. Whisk in truffle butter and flour mixture a little at a time.
22. Turn heat to low and simmer. Whisk often to thicken the sauce for about 2 minutes.
23. Stir in chives and any additional salt and black pepper.
24. Slice tenderloin into ½-inch slices and serve topped with mushroom sauce.
2. Truffle Butter Tagliatelle
Tagliatelle is a delicious type of pasta that’s become quite popular in recent years, although it has been used traditionally in authentic Italian recipes too. It’s a long, wide, flat noodle that soaks up all flavor and distributes it well throughout any dish. With this recipe, you can enjoy the delicious flavor of truffle butter melted over your pasta and just a few simple ingredients besides. This way, the taste of the truffle is really accented throughout the recipe.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: 3
source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/tagliarelle-with-truffle-butter-recipe.html
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 3oz white truffle butter
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 3oz grated fresh Parmesan
- 9oz fresh tagliatelle pasta
Procedure
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. Add pasta and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
4. Set the warm pasta aside.
5. Heat cream over medium in a large skillet until simmering.
6. Add salt, black pepper, and truffle butter.
7. Turn heat to very low and swirl the pan to melt the butter.
8. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss it well to combine the flavors and coat the pasta.
9. Add reserved pasta water to thin the sauce and keep it creamy.
10. Serve pasta topped with chives and Parmesan. Season with additional salt and black pepper if needed.
3. White Truffle Fettuccine
If you prefer a slightly more traditional and classic noodle dish, try this truffle butter fettuccine for an upscale twist on an old favorite. This recipe is sure to please everyone in your family, whether you’ve got picky eaters or those who might like a little more unique flavor in their weeknight meals. Truffle butter adds an extra dimension of flavor to really make this recipe come to life!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: 2
source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fettuccine-with-white-truffle-butter-and-mushrooms.html
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 12oz Cremini mushrooms
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 9oz fresh fettuccine
- 3oz white truffle butter
- ¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Procedure
1. Wash the mushrooms and pat dry.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Slice the caps thinly and set aside.
3. Salt a pot of water well and bring it to a boil over high heat.
4. While the water heats, melt unsalted butter and olive oil together in a large skillet on medium-high.
5. Add mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, stirring well, until golden.
6. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
7. Pour cream into pan and heat over medium until just simmering.
8. Add truffle butter, salt, and black pepper.
9. Turn heat to low and swirl the pan until the butter melts. Leave over low heat.
10. Cook pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes.
11. Drain pasta and add to truffle butter cream sauce.
12. Add mushrooms and chives and toss to coat thoroughly.
13. Stir in Parmesan cheese to combine well.
14. Serve topped with extra chives if desired.
4. Truffle Steak
Who doesn’t love a delicious steak cooked to perfection over an open grill? This is a popular meal for anyone looking to serve a family or even a large party full of people, but with the addition of truffle butter, you can make your steak even more delectable than ever before. It isn’t hard to grill a steak, and it’s just as easy to incorporate truffle butter into your dinner if you follow this simple recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: 2
source: http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2010/06/truffle-butter-steak.html
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp cold black truffle butter
- 4 boneless rib eye steaks (or filet mignon if you prefer)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Procedure
1. Let steaks come to room temperature before grilling.
2. Heat grill to high.
3. Melt half of the truffle butter.
4. Brush each steak with melted truffle butter and season with salt and black pepper.
5. Place steaks on grill and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Turn and top each steak with 1 tbsp remaining cold truffle butter.
7. Cook for 3 minutes more for medium rare. Add 2 to 3 minutes if you prefer medium, or 5 to 7 minutes if you prefer medium-well.
8. Remove steaks and place on a platter.
9. Tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes.
10. Slice and serve.
5. Truffle Butter Risotto
One of the most popular truffle dishes is risotto. This is a pasta-like rice that is made through a unique process of slowly cooking and hydrating it with flavor and texture. Traditionally, fresh white truffles straight from Italy are shaved and served over the top of this simple dish, which helps to accent the taste of this rare ingredient. If you don’t have fresh truffles on hand, you can make a unique twist on the recipe by using truffle butter instead.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: 3
source: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/white-truffle-butter-risotto.html
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 minced clove of garlic
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 3 tbsp white truffle butter
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Procedure
1. Bring chicken broth to a simmer over medium heat in a large saucepan.
2. Once simmering, turn heat to low.
3. In a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium-high until warm.
4. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring occasionally.
6. Add rice and stir until grains look translucent. This should take about 4 minutes.
7. Add wine and stir into the mixture for 2 minutes or until absorbed.
8. One ladle at a time, add hot broth to the risotto mixture.
9. Cook and stir the risotto until the broth is absorbed well before adding the next ladle.
10. Continue this process until the broth is used up. It should take about 25 minutes to bring the risotto to the right firm but tender texture.
11. Stir in the cheese and truffle butter well.
12. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir again.
13. Serve optionally topped with additional melted truffle butter.
6. Chicken Diane
If you’re looking for an excellent fancy dinner to serve for a special occasion in your family, check out this easy but amazingly delicious chicken Diane. The chicken itself is simple to prepare in no time, and the accompanying sauce recipe packs a lot of flavor into a recipe that’s not hard to pull off, even if you’ve never made a sauce from scratch before. Incorporate truffle butter for an amazing flavor you’ll never forget.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: 4
Ingredients
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp black truffle butter
- 4oz fresh linguine noodles
- 1 tbsp chives
Procedure
1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
2. Add chicken and cook for 6 minutes.
3. Flip and cover chicken. Cook for 6 minutes more.
4. Remove to a plate and tent with foil. Set aside.
5. In the same skillet, melt the unsalted butter over medium.
6. Add garlic and shallot. Cook and stir for 30 seconds.
7. Turn off the heat. Using a spatula, scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan while pouring in the brandy.
8. Bring heat back to medium and boil the mixture for 30 seconds.
9. Add Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Whisk again.
10. Turn off the heat once more.
11. Whisk in the heavy cream slowly.
12. Add the parsley and whisk again.
13. Return heat to medium and stir in salt and black pepper to taste.
14. Cook and stir sauce until slightly thickened.
15. Add chicken to skillet with sauce and turn to coat well.
16. Turn heat to low and simmer chicken in the sauce while you prepare the pasta.
17. Boil a small pot of water and cook linguine according to the directions on the package until al dente.
18. Drain and reserve 1/3 cup pasta water.
19. Toss warm pasta in a small mixing bowl with chives and truffle butter.
20. As needed, add a little bit of pasta water to thin the sauce.
21. Serve linguine topped with chicken and pour sauce over everything.
7. Truffle Butter Lobster
Nothing says upscale, high-class dining like lobster, and nothing makes for a fancy additional flavor like a truffle. Combine the two in this very easy truffle butter lobster recipe and get ready to serve it up in style! This recipe is a great choice to celebrate major holidays or special events since it feels so elegant from start to finish. Keep your side dish simple and serve it along with asparagus to highlight the impressive truffle butter flavor.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: 3
source: http://www.neworleansrestaurants.com/new-orleans-recipes/recipes_bacco.php
Ingredients
- 4 (1-1/2 pound) fresh whole lobsters
- 20 asparagus spears
- 16oz white truffle butter
- 1 sprig of Italian flat leaf parsley
- 1oz cold unsalted butter
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Procedure
1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Lightly salt the water.
2. Add the asparagus spears and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until just tender.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon and dunk in an ice water bath.
4. Drain and set aside.
5. Bring a large, deep pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
6. Drop in lobsters and cook for roughly 6 minutes.
7. Remove lobsters from the water.
8. Remove lobster claws and crack them carefully. Set them aside.
9. Split the lobster in half with a large, sharp knife.
10. Reheat asparagus in a small skillet.
11. Add salt, pepper, and unsalted butter.
12. Serve lobster with claws and asparagus.
13. Melt truffle butter and pour over everything.
14. Serve warm.
Conclusion
With so many different ways to use truffle butter, you’re sure to find the perfect recipe to suit you, your family, and your specific needs! Even if you’ve never cooked with truffle butter before, don’t worry. It’s just as easy to work with as traditional butter, and it adds so much flavor to your food that it’s sure to become your favorite ingredient in no time.
Of course, if you’ll be making the butter yourself, this could be a completely new cooking experience for you. But once again, there’s nothing to worry about! You’ll soon find out just how easy it can really be to make truffle butter, whether you use truffle oil, real fresh truffles, or truffle salt to achieve your flavor.
And if you’re worried about whether or not you’ll be able to use your truffle butter the right way when it comes time to cook, just keep these few tips and tricks in mind. You’ll have a beautiful, fancy dinner flavored with amazing truffle butter every time.
- Truffle butter is sometimes interchangeable. Black and white truffle butter have different flavors, so if a recipe calls for one it might change the taste a bit if you substitute the other one. It won’t change the texture.
- Any of the four methods for truffle butter making listed here can be used for these recipes. They all produce similar enough products that they can be used for a variety of different recipes.
- Always heat your truffle butter slowly to melt it. This way, you won’t damage the pieces of real truffle that might be present, and you won’t overcook the truffle oil you might have used either.
- Truffle butter should be a flavoring agent, but may not always work well as a cooking fat. You shouldn’t use more than a tablespoon of truffle butter per serving of a recipe in most cases. The flavor may be too overpowering otherwise.
Just remember those tips when you’re looking for suggestions for how best to use your truffle butter. Remember that all of these recipes are easy enough to be made well by even the most beginner chefs and that you’ll be able to make these great dishes no matter what. Just pick your favorite one and give it a try!