On the edge of his Sonoma vineyard aptly named Scintilla (“spark of an idea”), vintner Robert Sinskey has yanked out grapevines to make room for a few hundred oak and filbert trees. Sinskey’s not quite betting the farm, but rather 1½ acres of vineyard land in the hope that it will start producing both Burgundy and prized Perigord black truffles — the same coveted, heady tubers grown in France that can command more than $1,200 per pound. If he succeeds, he may be one of a small number of growers poised to reap the rewards of a burgeoning truffle industry taking root in Napa and Sonoma counties. Strolling the organic, biodynamic grounds on a recent afternoon with his Portuguese water dog, Paolo, whom he plans to train to sniff out the truffles, Sinskey surveyed the trees planted four years ago that have been inoculated with the truffle fungus. “We have become such a one-trick pony with monoculture in Napa and Sonoma,” he says. Perigord truffles were first grown outside of Europe in 1985 in a small Mendocino County property that is now fallow, according to Charles Lefevre, a mycologist and founder of New World Truffieres Inc., a truffle cultivation company in Oregon. With France, Italy, Spain and Australia the largest producers of truffles (in that order), chefs like Ken Frank of La Toque in Napa couldn’t be more excited about the possibility of getting their hands on truffles picked only hours ago, as compared to those that have been shipped from overseas. “It’s impossible to get them too fresh,” says Frank, who recently returned from cooking at the Alba White Truffle Fair in Italy. The thought that I could cook with truffles tonight that were in the ground in Carneros this morning is very tempting. There’s no reason why that can’t happen, says Robert Chang, managing director of American Truffle Co., which is in San Mateo and works with clients in 25 countries. Because Napa and Sonoma don’t have harsh winters, they offer a truffle-friendly climate. “A grape is heavily influenced by water and soil — terroir,” Chang says. “Once you buy the trees — the biggest chunk of the cost — there is minimal cost after that,” says Todd Traina, a film producer, whose mother, San Francisco socialite and philanthropist Dede Wilsey, may try to cultivate truffles on her Rutherford vineyard if her sons succeed with their project. [...] part, his wife, former San Francisco restaurant chef Maria Helm-Sinskey, who oversees the winery’s culinary program, remains skeptical. [...] like any proud parent, she already knows what she’ll do with the first one pulled from the ground. Bay Area freelance writer Carolyn Jung blogs at FoodGal and is the author of the San Francisco Chef’s Table.’’ Scent is the best indicator of a great truffle, according to La Toque chef Ken Frank. Wrap in a new paper towel each time and refrigerate in a covered container. Storing in a container of raw rice is no longer considered ideal, Frank says, because the rice absorbs too much moisture from the truffle. [...] storing truffles wrapped in a paper towel with eggs is a great way to infuse the eggs with truffle flavor. Chef Maria Helm-Sinskey likes white truffles shaved thinly over risotto or softly scrambled eggs with chives. Frank favors the simplest preparations with white or black truffles to allow their flavor to shine. Six grams of white truffles can be added to the regular prix-fixe menu for $70. The $65 five-course New Year’s Eve menu will include roasted quail with truffled blackberry jus. The All Truffle Menu offered nightly beginning Jan. 9 features black truffles in every course. 1314 M #SF #News #49ers
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:09:46 +0000