February 2003
I am always a little suspect of books that are written by vendors, so when I heard that Rosario Safina president of New York based Urbani Truffles and Caviar had co-written a book on Truffles; I was more than a little skeptical. Often these publications are nothing more than a discreet form of illicit product pimping - but in the case of "Truffles Ultimate Luxury Everyday Pleasure" no laws have been broken, culinary or otherwise.

Penned with Judith Sutton - a veteran chef and food writer, Truffles is packed with great truffle related information. Did you know that - the first truffle recipe dates back to the first century A.D, there are close to one hundred types of truffle, or that in Sardinia goats are sometimes used to sniff out the fungi? The history of truffles, harvesting, buying, storing and serving have all been included in the book's introduction.

To highlight the versatility of this exotic treasure, eighteen chefs contributed recipes from their kitchens - offering the reader one hundred and fifteen truffle driven dishes. A few more photographs would improve the reader's experience but the shots that have been included - around sixteen in all - are crisp and classy. Try out the Smoked Duck Salad with Pancetta, Warm Ricotta Salata and Black Truffle or the simple Tuna Cruda with Black Truffle-Anchovy Sauce. These and many of the other included dishes showcase the celebrated cousin of the humble mushroom in the best possible light and offer an compact educational read on the subject of the tuber magnatum and melanosporum - OK white and black truffle.