Saturday, August 2, 2008

Mundaring Truffle Festival 2008




There was a whole lot of truffling going on in Mundaring today. And the weather held out in a most obliging manner. Truth be told (and being the greedy pig I am), there wasn't as much truffling as I would have liked, considering this was, after all, a truffle festival.


Cute truffle-seeking labradors, yes. Truffle oils with the obligatory dukkah (by jingo I'm sick of that stuff), truffle butter, a big scrummy truffle in a jar worth around $150, a mega truffle luncheon for the gastronomes and a truffle masterclass with master chef Shannon Bennett (who looks suspicously like Kurt Cobain).


But where was the elusive truffle to be tasted? Must I forage for it myself? In the end, The Loose Box saved me with their excellent offerings: boiled egg in its shell blended with a bechamel sauce, nestled into a carton of raw brown rice, and topped with shavings of black, earthy truffle. Heaven in a cup.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a pity truffle festival without much truffle? I guess we still have a long way to go in WA to catch up to the European 'festival'!
I have to say Jen- that I have never seen a chef with such feral hair... did the dogs get him out of the ground too?!
Pia x

Published articles and pics by Jenny Susanto-Lee said...

LOL Pia, I know! Heavy night on the turps I think.

I guess I should have added that there were a lot of truffles on offer, if you were willing to shell out the $$$ for the chef-led lunches, dinners & masterclasses. Just slim pickings for the common folk who made the trip up.

Jen

Anonymous said...

Missed the truffle festival by a whisker...(back from holidays too late)...but did I miss much?
Love your blog...great to read a local blog, with local flavor...literally!

Published articles and pics by Jenny Susanto-Lee said...

Hi Tenina, many thanks! The festival was good..but next year I'll be signing up for the luncheon (at least) to get me some more truffle!

Thermomixer said...

Looks like Shannon was cooking up the eggs in a Thermomix?
Was the air redolent with truffle aromas?
Wish that I could have been there

Published articles and pics by Jenny Susanto-Lee said...

You know thermomixer, I think it was!

The only time the air was thick with truffle (for me, anyway) was when I stuck my nose into a jar containing a truffle. Redolent personified!

Jen