Frost and Truffles

The first frost always heralds the fast approching Truffle season here in the Perigord.

Last night the thermometre dipped to zero for the first time and soon many of the weekly food markets will offer  the prized Tuber Melanosporum in varying amounts. Yours for anything up to 900 euro a kilo - though you need not spend anything like that - thrift is the name of the game here. That truffle sitting in amongst the eggs will impart its earthiness right through the shell to the yolk in around 24 hours, such is the pervasiveness of its trufly perfume.

But to welcome the start of the truffle season is to say au revoir to many other champignons as frost and winter weather draw their time to a close.

This mushroom season's final hurrah seems to be large quantities of Pieds de Mouton and Trompettes de Mort together with the last Cepes, for which you'll always pay a bit more as their rarity value increases!

I bought about a kilo of the black trumpets this morning for seven euros the lot. I reckon that's a steal.

Dinner tonight, a fine chicken from the Landes, mushroom pilaf and a buttery, chickeny jus, laced with tarragon.