GOURMET ATTITUDE & TRUFFLED SCRAMBLED EGGS

Two days before I endeavored on my truffle adventure in Provence, I was notified by Lori Lynn that I had won a fresh black truffle giveaway from Gourmet Attitude on her blog, Taste with the Eyes. I was ecstatic at the news and took it as an omen that I would have an incredible experience learning about truffles in Provence. As can you tell from the gusto with which I have written recent posts, it indeed was a good omen as I did have an amazing time in Provence!


Since Gourmet Attitude is located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, I arranged to pick up my prize shortly after I returned from my truffle trip. I met with Elodie, a representative of Gourmet Attitude at the Palace Hotel in midtown while she was making her rounds dropping off fresh black truffles for Valentine's Day weekend.  Elodie was carrying a bag full of truffles that also had a scale secured on the side pocket. Take a peak at the treasures in the thermo bag she was carrying:


These guys are bigger in size than the average Perigord truffle, which a bit more rare and potentially more valuable. It was as soon as the fresh earthy, cocoa and red wine aromas hit my synapses that I had a million questions running through my head about these truffles and about Gourmet Attitude. All of the sudden it became clear that I was getting something more valuable than I had initially anticipated.

 

Upon further research, I found an impressive history behind the building of Gourmet Attitude. Céline Labaune, a native of the south of France, started the company in 2003 after seeing an absence of good quality fresh truffles in the American market.  She spent a few years researching and developing relationships with the best suppliers and producers of truffles. Over the years, Céline has grown Gourmet Attitude's product offering of fresh, frozen and preserved truffles year-round from various regions of the world, to now offering her own line of truffle delicacies such as truffle honey, carpaccio and tartufata. Her hard work and commitment to quality has garnered her tremendous success with a very elite customer list including: The French Laundry, Per Se, Le Bernardin, Daniel, Masa, Alinea, and Michael Mina. It doesn't get much more exclusive than serving these guys.

 

When I arrived home with my precious black truffle (tuber melanosporum), I was pinching myself, I still couldn't believe they gave me a Perigord, of all the black truffles, this species is the most highly prized! I lifted the nugget from the paper bag, held it up to my nose, and inhaled. Ahhhh!  Intense aromas of dark chocolate, red wine, and accents of hazelnut with a hint of Parmesan reggiano instantly saturated my olfactory senses! 


I was giddy with excitement, immediately rinsing, and brushing the dirt off of the truffle.  No longer was I able to resist waiting, I placed the truffle on the cutting board, thinly shaved a slice, and popped it in my mouth. And with a supple crunch, sweet memories of the indulgent truffle covered meals I had the week before began to emerge in my head. The flavors were symmetrical to the aromas, tasting like refined cocoa, a fruity bold red wine and accents of hazelnuts. I took another slice, and another to nibble, and before I knew it, I only had half of the truffle! I'm a little piggy. Okay I'm a very bad piggy who should have waited to share a bigger piece with my husband!
 

When my husband returned home, I prepared the same truffled scrambled eggs that I learned to make at Joel Gravier farmhouse



I started by creating a bain marie or a double boiler on medium heat. As the water was heating in a large pot, I minced half of the small truffle, which weighed roughly an ounce.

 

I added four extra large eggs to the pan, placed the pan onto the larger pot of hot steaming water, and started stirring. I stirred with a whisk for ten minutes, seasoning with salt along the way. After ten minutes, the soft scrambled eggs came together in a soft, cloudy consistency. I topped the eggs on a piece of bread toasted in butter, sprinkled chopped chives and coarse sea salt and voilà, truffled scrambled eggs. My husband called this the "perfect amalgamation of flavors!"

 

Thanks Lori Lynn of Taste with the Eyes for hosting the truffle giveaway!
Thanks Gourmet Attitude for giving away such an exceptional product!

43 comments:

3 hungry tummies said...

What a wonderful treat for your husband, I'm having tomato fried egg tonight :)

ann low said...

WOW! This is super delicious dish *.*

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Christine,
Your husband is one lucky man to be served these gorgeous eggs.

I'm curious about how you broke the top off of the egg shell to make such a lovely holder. Was it tricky? I would have broken a lot of shells trying to get a perfect one. Was it hard to stuff the scrambled eggs back into the shell?

The French have a marvelous method of making eggs. Go slow and don't overcook them. Great picture of the truffle in the raw eggs.

I'm passing along the information about Gourmet Attitude and the truffles to my gourmet brother-in-law who lives on Long Island near the city. He'll be so excited to be able to buy truffles.

Tina said...

This is just wonderful...I am so happy you are sharing these photos. Lucky hubby!

Simply Life said...

wow the presentation of everything is just remarkable!

chow and chatter said...

good tip on the meat, and wow u lucky thing your hubby must have loved it as well

kat said...

Those are some wonderful looking eggs!

Anonymous said...

I love Gourmet Attitude - they have the best truffle products! How wonderful to be able to replicate those yummy eggs at home!

Pam said...

I love truffles - the eggs look delicious.

Namitha said...

Lucky you :-) The scrambled eggs look fantabulous !

George Gaston said...

Christine, now that is a great prize! I love truffles, but they are so hard to get fresh here in my area.

Your scrambled eggs & your presentation are marvelous!

La Bella Cooks said...

Incredible! Those truffle are amazing.

The Blonde Duck said...

Those are elegant eggs.

Joanne said...

The truffle experience just never ends! How wonderful that you won those. I love what you did with them.

Sean said...

Still trying to get over how big that truffle is in the first picture.

Love the presentation of the scrambled eggs :)

tasteofbeirut said...

What a wonderful ending to a great experience in Provence! These eggs in their shell are so beautiful to look at they make the whole thing an event! Congratulations on winning the Perigord truffle!

Unknown said...

Yum! Congrats on winning the truffle! You definitely did it justice with that wonderful dish.

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Looks fabulous... sorry I haven't been around for awhile, I moved to the US Virgin Islands (I still giggle when I say that) for six months, and it is taking awhile to get settled. But i do think I am caught up, and will be back with new postings...

Come take a look at my new blogs of Island life!

OH MY... what a great item... and what a lucky husband

Sook said...

Oh the truffles sound amazing! I haven't tried them before. Can't wait to try them sometime.

Kitchen Butterfly said...

OMW.......truffle scrambled eggs. Pure luxury....don't you think. Would be perfect with some ciabatta, me thinks, or on toast! Yummy!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

wow christine, what a terrific prize for a giveaway. I can't imagine! Very nice romantic breakfast treat for you and your husbad!

Fresh Local and Best said...

Thanks everyone for your kind comments!

Sam - Topping off the eggs is a indeed a delicate process that requires some patience. To start, I had a bowl to catch the egg. I used a teaspoon to lightly tap the fat bottom of the egg to create a hole roughly an inch and a half at the crown. I proceed by peeling off the cracked egg shell pieces, and when I have roughly a round hole I pour out the contents of the egg into a bowl. I rinse the egg shell in lukewarm water, and then stand it cracked side down on a plate to dry.

When I am ready to fill the hollowed egg, I use a small teaspoon to fill the egg shell. It is a cumbersome process, and I only did it for the picture. After doing this, I would recommend simply serving the scrambled eggs onto the buttered toast. :)

Reeni said...

You were meant to win! What a wonderful treat for scrambled eggs!

Chubby Chinese Girl said...

i want breakfast like that every day! =)

Sarah said...

What a beautiful treat! I love the earthiness of the truffle.

Dana Fallentine said...

Looks amazing!

Delicious Dishings said...

Lucky you! That's quite a treat. I love that you recreated a meal from your trip. The eggs just look beautiful... almost too good to eat!

NKP said...

OH my, I can't wait to try a truffle one day!

Carolyn Jung said...

I can taste that truffle just by reading your passionate description of it. How wonderful to be able to bring home such a treasure and to share it with someone you love.

theUngourmet said...

Wow! Those eggs look fantastic! Wonderful presentation!

Deb in Hawaii said...

You are very lucky--what a special gift. The eggs look amazing!

Anonymous said...

How amazing to win a truffle! I am embarrassed to say that i have never tried one. THat is something that must be changed soon. All the food here looks wonderful.
*kisses* HH

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

How exciting to win something you are so passionate about:D

OysterCulture said...

I love the back story here, what a wonderful treat!

I was giggling that as delicious as those eggs in France were, they were still served on what appears to be a paper plate. Me - I'd not have have thought to serve them on any thing other than my best china.

Love the presentation of your egg in the shell - just lovely!

Mardi Michels said...

I LOVE truffled scrambled eggs and your presentation is outstanding!

Mardi Michels said...

I LOVE truffled scrambled eggs and your presentation is outstanding!

Patty said...

How luck have you been! First the truffles, then the Meyer Lemons??? I can't handle how delicious your truffle scrambled eggs look. They are out of this world and I am sure that your husband had a field day eating them. i head to Paris next week and perhaps, I'll have my first truffle experience there! I've never had one! Crazy, I know.

The Diva on a Diet said...

I've said it before and I must say it again ... your pictures are stunning, FLB! They're superb!

Really enjoying sharing your trip here in your posts, they've all been so wonderful. Those eggs are absolutely dreamy!

Kim said...

This is the ultimate in "breakfast for dinner". It looks delicious:D

Anonymous said...

Keep posting stuff like this i really like it

Katy ~ said...

It's all so wonderful.... Sniff... I have no words, only emotion...

Unknown said...

I have never tasted a truffle (that I know of)I really need to do something about that don't I. You dish looks amazing!!

Lori Lynn said...

Christine! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get over here! Out of 100 people it is amazing that the random generator picked YOU as the winner of the truffle! Not only were you on your way to France to hunt for truffles, and to learn how to cook with them, and that you live in NYC and were able to meet Elodie in person. This is fantastic. I am so happy that this special prize went to you. Your post is awesome, we can tell how much joy this little tuber brought to you! Thank you for sharing it with us!
(and thanks so much for the links to Taste With The Eyes too).
Lori Lynn