Clare Smyth walks amongst rows of hazel and oak trees with truffle producer Gavin Booth, and his dog Gidgee, of Australian Truffle Traders. Smyth is visiting his Manjimup based orchard in the south west of Western Australia while en route to Sydney.

A cold day, squalls of rain whip in, and although she’s left behind summer in London, she couldn’t be happier as she listens intently and asks questions which home in on the consistency and integrity of the black truffle from this region, used in her Sydney based restaurant Oncore, which within a year of opening has captured the fourth spot in the delicious. 100 for New South Wales. 

“Black truffle particularly is so versatile and that’s why I just love it so much,” she says. “It’s robust and you can cook it in, freeze them, store them in eggs and in rice, and do all sorts of things. Preserve them and use the juice as well, they’re so versatile.” 

Smyth, whose London restaurant Core was awarded the rarified honour of a third Michelin star in 2021 says that what you can do with black truffle is “kind of limitless,” as she shares her knowledge and opinion on the ingredient. 

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The do’s and don’ts of using truffle.

“Get the most out of your truffles, they’re expensive” she says, by cooking them and preserving them. While many restaurants and wine bars in Australia will simply add a fine shaving of truffle to a dish Smyth came up through kitchens steeped in a French tradition where truffle is often layered throughout the cooking process. When using preserved truffle (as many fine dining restaurants do), the juice or the oil that it may have been stored in can also be used as the truffle imparts flavour and aroma. 

“Actually, I think even when they’re frozen, they’re great,” says Smyth. “Crushing them up and putting them into things is where you really get the most out of them. Preserved truffles I always just crush with a fork, rather than chopping, and I’ll even use a pestle and mortar, really getting everything out of them.” 

“Don’t waste truffle. I personally like to peel my truffles but then I’ll use the skin and turn it into a paste,” says Smyth. While some people advise storing truffle in rice Smyth says that may be ok for just a short time to impart aroma but ultimately the rice will dry out your truffle. “I wrap them in paper and leave them in a nice airtight container and keep them very, very cold” she says. 

“Right at the end of the season you’ll get all the little bits and pieces left over and they’re often really quite pungent and we preserve them. They’ll often be a bit cheaper.”

Cooking with the prized ingredient.

Pairing truffle with an ingredient that can carry the flavour and aroma is key. That would typically be something with fat or starch. Potato and cuts of meat that aren’t too lean. “You want to get the most out of it, and you want it to shine,” says Smyth. “So never overcomplicate things that you serve with truffle.”

On a personal note of taste Smyth says, “I think for me, it’s always about keeping it simple when it comes to truffle dishes. My favourite is linguine with truffles, black or white, and I do like a black truffle linguine with a very lightly roasted garlic and parmesan emulsion. It’s just the best thing to eat with it, just not complicated at all.” 

“Or I cook vegetables in black truffle. That’s one of my favourite dishes and is actually an Alain Ducasse dish I learnt when I was working in Monaco. I just love it. Crushed black truffle cooked in a cocotte with the vegetables. Beautiful, and just very, very simple.”

Smyth shares some of her uses of black truffle in her book Core, published by Phaidon, which delves into the dishes and the ethos of her London restaurant, which is the bedrock of inspiration for Sydney’s Oncore.

A respect for the seasons.

“The older I get, and the more open minded I probably am,” says Smyth as to whether there’s any cardinal sins when it comes to black truffle. She does say that respecting seasons is key to her philosophy on food. “You know, tomatoes and truffles, probably not,” she says “We’re in the summer in the U.K., and I personally don’t use it. I’m not using fresh Australian truffles at Core, as I keep them for the season even though they’re one of my favourite ingredients.”

“Lots of people use them in the UK and they are very, very popular as they are of a super quality obviously,” says Smyth. “And I can see the attraction, I’m just quite disciplined. That’s a thing for me, the seasons.”

“I’d rather we were using them with what they go with seasonally and that’s why I’m just so excited to come here in the middle of our summer, have your winter, and really banging truffles. It’s a beautiful truffle season, amazing Australian truffles.”

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