Elevate Your Salads With A Sprinkle Of Truffle Salt

Truffles are amongst the world's most expensive and precious cooking ingredients, with good reason. These unique fungi grow around the roots of oak and pine trees in the forests of Europe, about 12 inches below the ground. Because of their symbiotic relationship with their host trees, truffles cannot be cultivated and must be gathered from the wild. To find them, truffle hunters rely on specially trained dogs to fetch them. Thankfully, there is a less expensive way to add their flavor to your cooking. Using truffle salt will give you all the flavor for a fraction of the price; it can help you elevate everything from pastas to egg dishes, and is especially interesting when added as a finishing touch to your salads.

Sprinkle atop a simply dressed green salad, or add a pinch of extra flare to this French potato salad — truffles and potatoes get along swimmingly. Tomatoes are another great partner to truffles, so think about sprinkling over this adorable chopped caprese, made with multicolor cherry tomatoes. Truffles go great with cream and pastas too, so add a gourmet touch to your next macaroni salad, chicken salad, or even egg salad. Last but not least, truffles are magical with the creaminess of avocado; try it on your next guacamole or any salad that includes avocados. Properly stored in a cool, dry place in a well sealed jar, your truffle salt will retain its special flavor for a long time. It will be well worth the investment.

Truffle salts are best used as finishing salts to add a burst of flavor, which is often described as earthy and garlicky. A little goes a long way with truffle flavor, so taste the salt before using it so you know how salty and how strongly flavored it is, and add it gradually. Once you gauge the saltiness and flavor profile of your truffle salt, you are ready to enhance just about any salad. 

There are two types, white and black truffles. Although they both have an intense earthy flavor and pungent aroma that add a unique flavor to dishes, there are some differences. Black truffles have a more intense flavor, while the more delicate white truffles are milder and even pricier — a single ounce of Alba white truffles can go for nearly $450. To make truffle salt, pieces of the fungi are mixed with sea salt, which absorbs the aroma and flavor of the truffles. However, avoid the cheapest salts as some are flavored with synthetic chemicals; check that the one you purchase has real pieces of truffle. Since they are less expensive and more potent, black truffle salt is more widely available.