No. 2844

Truffles in Shells, Baked

Truffes en Coquilles, Gratinees

Peel some truffles and put the parings into a saucepan with a little Madeira wine, parsley, thyme and bay leaf; let boil and leave in a bain-marie (Fig. 122) for half an hour. Cut the truffles in three-sixteenths inch slices, warm them in butter, drain this off and replace it by thick bechamel (No. 409), the above truffle essence and cream, seasoning with salt, nutmeg, prepared red pepper (No. 168) and Madeira wine, then reduce. Butter some silver shells (Fig. 438), strew over with bread-crumbs and fill with the truffles, then sprinkle over more bread-crumbs and grated parmesan; pour melted butter over and brown in a hot oven; serve. The minced truffles can be replaced by small whole ones trimmed into balls or olives.

← No. 2843 Truffles in a Napkin or in a Croustade Mushrooms & Truffles No. 2845 Truffles Stuffed →

For the Modern Kitchen

A gratin of sliced truffles bound in a reduced béchamel, run under high heat in individual shells. Everything depends on the sauce being thick enough to cling before it goes into the oven.

The hinge: reduce the sauce hardThe truffle essence and cream will slacken the béchamel, and a loose sauce will weep under the broiler and separate from the crumbs. Reduce until it coats a spoon heavily and mounds slightly when dropped, then fill the shells.
The peelings are the flavourThe parings simmered in Madeira with parsley, thyme and bay are the "truffle essence" called for later. Strain it and reduce it before adding, or it will thin the sauce; nothing here should be discarded.
Bain-marieIn this book a bain-marie is a water bath used to hold things hot without further boiling. The essence is brought to a boil and then left to steep for half an hour off direct heat.
Béchamel No. 409Bechamel No. 409 -- the book's own bechamel, called for here in its thick form. Any modern bechamel made stiff enough to hold its shape will serve.
Prepared red pepperNo. 168 is Ranhofer's seasoned cayenne preparation. Plain cayenne, used with restraint, is the practical substitute.
Silver shellsThese are individual gratin shells, often scallop shells or shell-shaped silver dishes. Small ramekins or ovenproof coquilles of about 1/3 cup work identically; butter and crumb them as directed so the gratin lifts cleanly.
"A hot oven"No temperature is given in the book. The filling is already cooked; the object is only to colour the crumbs and parmesan in a few minutes without boiling the sauce, so use the top of your oven's range or a high broiler.
Truffles, then and nowRanhofer worked with truffles that were far more plentiful, and relatively cheaper, than they are today. At present prices, count on a small quantity finely sliced and stretched by the sauce; good preserved truffles in their own juice, juice included, are the honest alternative. Avoid truffle oil, which is a different flavour entirely.
YieldNot stated. Figure about 3 oz of truffle and a cup of finished sauce filling four shells as a first course.

A Little History

Charles Ranhofer wrote The Epicurean (1894) out of some thirty years as chef of Delmonico's in New York, and its truffle chapter reflects a moment when European black truffles arrived in American cities in quantity — their peelings simmered separately for essence rather than thrown out. Gratinée here means finished with crumbs and cheese under high heat, and the service in shells belongs to the same family as coquilles of oysters or lobster: an individual portion, brought to the table in its own dish, that let a kitchen send out something rich in a controlled amount. The instruction to trim whole small truffles "into balls or olives" is characteristic of the period's kitchens, where turning vegetables and garnishes into uniform shapes by hand was ordinary work for a brigade with plenty of hands.