Revisiting the Tomato-Mozzarella-Mushroom Appetizer
Posted on 25 February 2008 under Canadian Food, Chefs, Corrections, Food on TV, Recipes
One of the more popular recent posts here on Luna Pier Cook has been Eat This Blog: Tomato-Mozzarella-Mushroom Appetizer. If you look back at that post this morning you’ll find Chef Daniele Palanca, who’d made the dish on an episode of The Great Canadian Food Show I’d seen, has left a comment offering a couple corrections to how I’d made the dish:
The only correction to the recipe you posted was the mushroom component. I don’t place mushrooms but instead thinly sliced fresh truffles. I also place basil under the buffalo mozzarella.
Thank you, Chef! While I could probably locate decent truffles around here somewhere, I’m not so sure buffalo mozzarella would be so easy to locate! Fresh basil is also simple to find, at Ciolino’s over on Lewis Ave., so that’s not an issue. I’d have to likely contact someone at the Michigan Bison Association to find out if buffalo mozzarella is available in Michigan but it doesn’t seem that way. For now, I’ll stick with John Aylward’s handmade mozzarella from the Boulevard Market over in Tecumseh.
Mary’s visited Leamington, Ontario once, and I’ve always loved visiting the province. I think this summer she and I need to head over there for a visit of the city of Leamington together. It seems to be a rather excellent idea.
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25 February 2008 @ 2:39 pm Posted by DurianDurian
Don’t get me wrong. I love truffles and truffle oil and use the oil at home.
But I just don’t “get” how the truffle component adds anything here. To me, it seems like a distraction from what should be a celebration of very fresh ingredients.
Also, were they white or black truffles?
25 February 2008 @ 3:25 pm Posted by Dave
I think the truffles, when also using truffle oil vs. the olive oil I used when using mushrooms here, will end up adding a better elegance to the overall flavor of the dish. If you’ve ever had truffles on a pizza vs. adding the standard mushroom, even on a better pizza made the old-fashioned way (i.e., slices of mozz instead of shredded) … it’s that kind of difference, that type of an intensity in the elegance of the combination of flavors.
As to white or black truffles, maybe Chef Daniele will answer that one.
27 February 2008 @ 9:27 am Posted by phyllis
what can I use instead of either mushrooms or truffles? Not a fan of either, but this looks great! What about pearl onions?
27 February 2008 @ 11:25 am Posted by Dave
Phyllis, sliced pearl onions would probably be a good option. My concern would be that of overpowering the other flavors vs. complimenting them, so the pearl onions would have to be fairly mild. I think at some point it would be interesting to also try a small, thin, buttery slice of a mild smoked duck breast or something similar.
27 February 2008 @ 12:37 pm Posted by DurianDurian
IMO onions are much less overpowering than truffles. Particularly when you are speaking of an actual shaving and not oil.
Yes, truffles can lend an elegant quality to otherwise mundane things, but they can also quite easily take over whatever they are added to.
To me, the essense of “elegance” in a culinary sense is using the best possible ingredients smartly, so that they do all the talking.
A delicious heirloom tomato freshly picked from the garden topped with mozarella made fresh that day is supremely elegant in and of itself. IMO truffles distract, not add to that experience.
But if you are talking lesser quality ingredients, say a supermarket tomato or lesser quality cheese, then a truffle might make that more interesting.
So would a sliver of duck breast or even a sliver of duck confit. That sounds good.