By Janet Eastman
A TRUFFLE smackdown? Forgive my crudeness, but oh, yes, even in the most dignified arenas there are heated comparisons and to some, winners and losers. The big guns of the truffle world – chefs, scientists, sellers and lovers – are gearing up for next week’s Oregon Truffle Festival in Eugene, the only such fête in North America.
Not only will the famous Perigords be tested against Oregon’s lesser-known whites, but there will also be a quiet battle between the ways in which "the diamonds of the kitchen" are used to elevate a meal. French Chef Jacques Ratier will put on a traditional dinner Friday, Jan. 29. On Saturday afternoon and evening, Oregon chefs – ever so politely – will display their modern methods for teasing out the glorified mushroom’s delicate flavors.
Who will win? Festival participants. During the three-day trufflefest, they will get to roll up their sleeves for a cooking class, follow dogs on a hunt for the culinary treasures growing on the roots of Douglas Fir trees and shop at a marketplace with vendors selling books, wine, oils and, of course, those pricy nuggets.
But before we talk about the festival’s cultivation seminar, growers’ forum, truffle forays, farm tours, receptions, winery luncheons, formal dinners, and, of course, the ultra-passionate advocates – who would have thought truffles could be so controversial? – let’s focus briefly on the wine. Because everyone knows, a truffle without a great wine is like a pretty girl without a smile.
Be warned: These words will tempt you. So, follow your instincts and succumb to the festival. But don’t hesitate. Tickets for some of the experiences and the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday are still available. But the clock is ticking. Tickets won’t be sold at the event.
Friday's Opening Ceremony
Effervescent food writer Michael Sanders will read passages from his books on chefs, farmers, fishermen, restaurateurs and winemakers and speak about truffle tasting and hunting in France and Maine, where he now lives. Accompanying his thoughts will be Domaine Meriwether's non-vintage Brut Cuvee made with Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Friday's La Récréation Dinner
Imagine what a chef could create if he could gambol near his home and find splendid black truffles, foie gras, duck breast, goat cheeses, saffron? French chef Jacques Ratier, who is charged with presenting a traditional French truffle dinner the first night of the truffle festival, has the resources and experience he needs to create a masterpiece. He’s worked in noble kitchens including Roger Vergé’s Le Moulin de Mougins. In 1993, he and his wife Noelle opened La Récréation restaurant in the Lot region famous for its vin de Cahors. (The chef, his wife and their restaurant are the subject of Sanders' book “From Here, You Can't See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and Its Restaurant.”)
Ratier will be working with Rocky Maselli, executive chef of Marché in Eugene, to create Friday’s dinner.
Folin Cellars, with a winery and vineyards in Gold Hill, will be pouring its 2007 Estate Viognier.
“This is the first time we have participated in the festival,” says Carole Stevens, The Rogue Valley winery's sales and marketing expert who will be attending with winemaker Rob Folin. “We feel that Oregon truffles and Oregon wines are a special culinary treat.”
This is the fourth time that Domaine Meriwether in Veneta has participated in the festival. In addition to the reception’s sparkling wine, Domaine Meriwether owner Ed (Buzz) Kawders was asked by Chef Maselli to pour a bold 2005 Pinot Noir at the La Recreation dinner. Regrettably, Kawders adds, he will miss the Friday night festivities in which his wines will star because he's attending the Eugene Symphony’s gala (he serves on the board). “However, my wife and I along with two guests will be in attendance for the Grand Dinner on Saturday,” he says.
Did we hear a sigh?
Winery Luncheons
Forging for truffles works up an appetite and a thirst. Not to mention a nagging thought about what these things taste like. And if they’re worth the trouble. Don’t worry. Festival planners have lunches planned to quench your curiosity.
There will be what’s called a Villa Luncheon on Saturday afternoon. Its menu is in the hands of Cathy Whims, the James Beard nominated chef of Portland’s Nostrana. In her dedication to simple, sustainable Italian cooking, she’s creating a menu paired with host Pfeiffer Vineyards’ wine:
Crostini all Urbani: black truffles on toast with the 2007Anna Skye, a muscat/pinot blanc blend
Cesare's Egg: chestnut polenta and white truffles with the 2007 Blue Dot Reserve Pinot Noir
Roast Quail and black truffle cream with the 2007 Merlot
Taleggio trattato and white truffles with the 2006 Pinot Gris
For the second year, Willamette Valley Vineyards will host a three-course lunch. This year it’s being masterminded by Jack Czarnecki of the Joel Palmer House in Dayton.
Czarnecki is crazy about truffles. He has been intensely investigating mushrooms for most of his adult life and truffles, specifically, for the last few years. He’s tweeting about them at www.twitter/truffleoil, tossing out wisdoms such as: “Truffles love fat” and “Season winding down. Lotsa ripies. Squirrels & voles in feeding orgy. Smell their burps in woods.”
Czarnecki will pair his well-researched opinions and his first course -- a cheese, salami and truffle plate – with Willamette Valley Vineyards’ 2008 Dry Riesling, which has vanilla and peach aromas. The beef stroganoff with white truffles will be served with a certified organic 2007 Tualatin Estate Pinot Noir. And a black-truffle dessert will finish with a 2007 Pinot Noir Port.
Saturday’s Grand Truffle Dinner
The elegant evening at the Valley River Inn begins with toasts made with Sweet Cheeks Winery’s 2007 Sparkling Red Cuvée (Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc). As with all of the offerings tonight except one, this wine is from the Willamette Valley.
FIRST COURSE: Chef Naomi Pomeroy of Portland’s Beast (named 2008 Restaurant of the Year by the Oregonian) conjures crème fraiche tarts with triple cream, shaved white truffles and mâche salad with a black truffle vinaigrette. This is paired with Trisaetum’s 2007 Riesling.
“Our 2007 Riesling has pretty aromas of night-blooming jasmine, beeswax and peach blossom with flavors of tropical fruits and white peach,” says winemaker James Frey, who will be attending the event for the first time, accompanied either by his wife Andrea Frey or fellow winemaker Greg McClellan. “Since this is a succulent wine with a bright mineral and floral finish, I think it is a perfect pairing with Naomi’s dish. The flavors not only complement each other, but elevate each other in a way that I believe will leave participants wanting to take another bite and then another sip and then another bite and then another sip and so on. “
SECOND COURSE: Parisian native Chef Pascal Sauton of Carafe in Portland has selected Westrey’s 2007 Reserve Chardonnay to go with his Pacific ling cod effeuilée with foie gras and black truffle broth.
Says David Autrey, Westrey Wine Co.’s co-owner and co-winemaker: Sauton is “a very old friend and the dish he is doing is an excellent match for the wine.” This is the Portland winery’s debut at the event, but “we have know about it since its inception [five years ago],” Autrey says, because of partner Amy Wesselman's leadership role in the International Pinot Noir Celebration.
THIRD COURSE: Chef Gabriel Rucker, owner of Le Pigeon in Portland and a handsome contributor to Travel Oregon/Oregon Bounty, is preparing blanquette of Oregon rabbit with white truffles to pair with J Scott Cellars’ 2008 Roussanne from the Columbia Valley.
“Our 2008 Roussanne is very appropriate since the grape's origins are the Rhone Valley in France,” says Jonathan Scott Oberlander, who will be there with his wife Bonnie and Susan and Bentley Mooney, who grow Pinot Noir for Oberlander.
J. Scott Cellars will also be participating in the Marketplace on Sunday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., pouring Roussanne, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier.
FOURTH COURSE: The chef of Portland’s Multnomah Athletic Club and Heathman Hotel & Bar is French-born Philippe Boulot. (He was inducted into the Association des Mâitres Cuisiniers de France and the Académie Culinaire de France.) He will present a duck leg confit and black truffle pommes sarladaises. It will be served with Solena Cellars’ 2006 Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir.
“Chef Boulot is our friend as well as the culinary director for our new winery Soléna and Grand Cru Estates,” says Danielle Andrus Montalieu, who will be attending the event with her husband Laurent Montalieu for the first time.
CHEESE COURSE: Chef Maselli of Marché, who collaborated with French chef Jacques Ratier on Friday night's feast, returns tonight with an assortment of truffled artisanal cheeses to go with Artisanal Cellars’ 2008 Gamay Noir.
“Last year we attended the Grand Truffle Dinner and provided the wines for a cooking demonstration,” says Patricia Feller, who owns the company with her husband Tom. “It was a lot of fun and we are, admittedly, big foodies in this household, so it was a great event for us. In addition to being an excellent winemaker, Tom is an exceptional cook and he loves to use truffles!”
They will also be pouring wines at the Sunday Marketplace.
MIGNARDISES: Chef Maselli concludes the event with truffled chocolates and sweets.
What, no wine?
For more info: Oregon Truffle Festival, January 29–31, centered in and around the Valley River Inn, 1000 Valley River Way, Eugene, Oregon, (503) 296-5929, www.oregontrufflefestival.com