We just recently returned from Provence where the focus of our Getaway was truffles! Black Perigord (tuber melanosporum) truffles, to be exact. We had a fun, energetic group and an active agenda for the week.
During our Truffle Getaway, we stayed in a gorgeously-remodeled farmhouse in the Luberon area of Provence, near the village of Goult. This farmhouse features five bedrooms, all with private bathrooms, a chef’s kitchen, a swimming pool, a luxurious living room with fireplace, a formal dining room and lovely grounds.
To start the week off, we went for a truffle hunt with a farmer and his dog, Griselle. Griselle found about a dozen truffles in the span of half an hour. What fun it was to see her start digging and then watch the farmer move in with his special truffle tool to complete the extraction of the truffle from the hole. Afterward, we watched an educational video about truffles and then enjoyed a hearty dish of scrambled eggs loaded with black melanosporum truffles.
Each day, we enjoyed spectacular truffle meals, both at home and in local restaurants. We also had special demonstrations on truffles and got to taste several different varieties in order to understand the differences.
We also cooked with a French chef and dined on our creations – brandade with truffles, chicken fricasee with truffled mashed potatoes and sauteed artichokes, and pineapple carpaccio and kiwi fruit with truffles.
We ate local cheeses, some with truffles and some not. We tasted local wines and olive oils.
We shopped at the local markets and ate favorite regional specialties, such as saucissons, Provencal olives, tappenade, pickled garlic, and anchovy aioli.
Did I mention that we had fabulous meals prepared for us both in restaurants and at the farmhouse, too?
I can hardly wait to do it again next year.
For more information and pictures from our truffle week, check out the Fresh Local and Best blog site.