Easy Holiday Entertaining with Truffles from Urbani

I happen to love truffles - white, black, fresh, in salted form - I don't discriminate. I also happen to think that adding a dash of truffle essence to a dish immediately elevates it. My favorite Fall and Winter entertaining trick is to serve great cocktails with microwave popcorn drizzled with white truffle oil. 

So this year, I partnered with the finest purveyor and distributor of Italian truffles, Urbani, and learned how to take the idea of simple, yet elegant, holiday recipes to the next level by using their amazing truffle products. 

With the help of Urbani Truffles and Stephanie, Founder of City Cooking West End, we created an entire truffle-based meal that will be sure to wow your guests and even a part time cooking enthusiast like me, can do all on my own. See the delectable recipes below and be sure to check out Urbani for all of your truffle needs this holiday season. (Another life hack: their products, like Truffle Mustard, make for great gifts. Because after all, who doesn't want truffles in their food or under the tree?!)

Truffled Eggs Mimosa

• 4 eggs

• 1 1/2 teaspoons Urbani truffle mustard

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1 tablespoons truffle and mushroom sauce

• 1 baguette sliced, slices toasted brushed with olive oil

• Pinch of pepper

• Pinch of black truffle salt

• Microgreens (for garnish)

Fill a pan (large enough to fit the eggs in a single layer) with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil.

Gently lower the eggs into the water and cook for 9 minutes. Drain and rinse eggs with cold water until cool. When cool enough to handle, peel the eggs.

In a bowl, mash the eggs until smooth. Add mustard, mayonnaise and truffle and mushroom sauce and mix together.

Season to taste with sea salt and pepper then spoon on the egg salad.

Top each slice of toasted baguette with the egg mixture and garnish with microgreens.

Squash Ricotta Sage Lasagna with Porcini Truffle Sauce

Serves 4-6

• 2 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 six oz can Urbani White Truffles and Porcini
• 12 oz lasagna noodles
• 2 oz fontina, grated
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place diced squash on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and lightly browned, 25-30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan.

Using a food processor (or by hand with a fork), puree squash. Add to ricotta mixture and season with salt and pepper.

In boiling water, pre-cook lasagna noodles until tender but not falling apart, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and put on wax paper, being sure not to overlap noodles.

In a 8x8” square pan, spoon a thin layer of Urbani truffle & porcini sauce to cover the bottom.

Spread the squash ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles. Roll each noodle, starting with the end closest to you, and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Spread remaining truffles & porcini sauce over the top of the noodles and sprinkle with grated fontina cheese.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly on top. Sprinkle with fresh black truffles and serve.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Truffle Honey

Serves 4

• 1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 tablespoons water
• truffle honey

In a very small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water to soften. Let sit 15 minutes.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, combine cream, half and half and sugar. Stirring, bring just to a boil, making sure sugar is completely dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved. Gelatin will have softened to a flexible disk – stir, breaking apart with spoon, until completely dissolved in cream mixture.

Add vanilla bean paste and whisk to combine.

Transfer to a large measuring cup with a spout and divide panna cotta among ramekins.

Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.

Remove from refrigerator, drizzle with truffle honey and serve.

For more information on ordering fresh truffles and truffle products, check out Urbani. Truffle classes are available at the Urbani Truffle Lab on the Upper West Side and additional cooking classes are available through City Cooking West End.