The Traveled Truffle

3 events all happening at the same time last night but only 1 of me…. Thank goodness for my roster of zany friends!

So with a quick tweet it was Tina, aka @crantina, to the rescue! And what she saw cost more than my first car!

Take it away Tina!…

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is especially true when you think of the truffle. On the outside it doesn’t look like much, but its exotic rarity makes is one of the most sought after ingredients in foodie world.

Muse Restaurant recently purchased a 558 gram (1.2 lb) White Alba Truffle and a few days ago it boarded a plane in Italy and has now touched down in Alberta!

The White Alba Truffle, known as the ‘diamond of the kitchen’, is one of the largest truffles ever to have been purchased in Canada and cost a whopping $5,000!

And tonight I had the change to meet the wealthy playboy!

But before meeting the star attraction I was first ‘courted’ with a fabulous Double Cross Vodka martini served with blue cheese and black truffle stuffed olives!

As I munched on white truffle popcorn, I chatted with Heather Wighton, co-owner of Muse, about the rare truffle and their new inspired menu which will see ‘Alba’ and her brothers and sisters transformed into a six course tasting menu which will run now until November 30.

Never tried a truffle? Missed this year’s White Truffle Fair in Alba? Well Muse makes it easy for you to enjoy one of the biggest treats from Northern Italy without the costly travel!

So what does the menu look like?

Start with the delicious martini I sampled above and follow it up with an amuse bouche – mushroom flan.

-The first course is a cold appetizer featuring pancetta, crimini and porcini mushrooms.

-The second course is seared quail, mushroom duxelle, and shaved burgundy black truffles.

-The third course is striped bass, mushroom dashi broth with ginger.

-The fourth course is braised short rib with black trumpet mushrooms, and shaved white alba truffle.

Then a palette cleanser comes and is followed by a cheese course featuring truffle.

Lastly the desert: a white chocolate with a chanterelle mushroom crumble.

And, to make the tasting menu that much more ridiculously amazing, Muse also offers a wine pairing for each course. So all you have to do is sit back and enjoy what the chef brings out!

I am DYING to try this inspired menu and at $98 per person it’s a great opportunity to try something rare and interesting for a reasonable price!

So head over to Muse for this one-of-a-kind tasting menu; it’s only here for a few more weeks.

TINA fab