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Warm Lobster Salad

Ingredients:

4 1-lb. Lobsters, cooked, shelled and diced
2 fennel bulbs, shaved as thin as possible
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, red and yellow
1 large red vine ripe tomato
3 bunches of arugula, picked and cleaned
1 ounce white truffle oil
3 ounces extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces white balsamic vinegar
1 juiced lemon
1 bunch fresh tarragon, cleaned and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the large red tomato and puree it in a blender until smooth. Drizzle in 2 ounces of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour into a bowl. Add the fresh tarragon and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining olive oil with the truffle oil and lemon juice. Season to taste and toss with the shaved fennel to coat it evenly, reserving enough of the oil to dress the arugula.

Place the tarragon-tomato dressing in a saucepan over low heat until just warm.
Peel, dice, and drain the red and yellow tomatoes, then place them in a large bowl with the lobster.

Toss with the warm tarragon dressing and season to taste. Dress the arugula with the remaining truffle oil dressing and arrange the fennel and arugula on individual plates.

Top with the lobster-tomato salad and serve immediately. Do not make this dish ahead of time.

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Focaccia with Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Truffle Oil

When cooked properly and served in wedges as an appetizer, focaccia can make you sigh. It should have a chewy texture and the bread itself should have a neutral flavor. The toppings, however, should have nothing to do with neutrality.

You can experiment with as many different combinations as you choose: mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, pignola nuts, roasted garlic, anchovies, ham, any kind of veggies, onion, bacon, and olives. Sprinkled with cheese and herbs and served hot, it can easily tempt you to skip dinner altogether.

In this recipe, the truffle oil is not added until everything else is finished. You'll be surprised at what it does to the flavor of the final product. You should have a pizza stone for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup water, 110 degrees F
1 envelope of dry active yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to oil the bowl
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, as needed
1 teaspoon salt
1 bunch very tender, young asparagus
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano, leaves only
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary, leaves only
1 teaspoon fresh chopped sage, leaves only
8 thin slices prosciutto ham, trimmed of all fat
½ pound Fontina cheese, sliced very thin
2 tablespoon white truffle oil

Place the warm water in a food processor and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Wait for two minutes, then add the sugar, half of the oil, and half of the flour. Mix thoroughly until smooth, cover with plastic, and allow to sit for 45 minutes. It should be very foamy.

Add the salt, the remaining oil, and half of the remaining flour. Mix thoroughly and, with the processor running, add the rest of the flour very gradually, just two tablespoons at a time. Mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The ball of dough should be moist to the touch, but not too sticky. You may find it necessary to add additional flour, a very small amount at a time.

Place a small amount of oil in a mixing bowl and add the dough. Turn the dough several times to coat it with the oil. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm spot until it has doubled in size. This should take about 45 minutes. Punch down the dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Form into another ball.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the asparagus ends off and discard. Peel the asparagus skin off of the stalk, starting just below the tip. Boil the asparagus until it is bright green, about 2 or 3 minutes. Chill immediately under cold running water. Cut in half lengthwise and reserve.

Place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Cut the dough into four pieces and roll into balls. Use a rolling pin to roll the pieces into small disks, about 8 inches wide. Cover them with plastic and allow them to "proof" for about 5-10 minutes. Roll out again until each piece is about ½ inch thick. Sprinkle a pizza tray with cornmeal and transfer the dough pieces to the tray. Press your fingertips into the dough, leaving dimples in the surface.

Sprinkle the dough with the oil, salt, oregano, rosemary, and sage, being careful to distribute the ingredients evenly over all of the dough pieces.

Sprinkle the pizza stone with cornmeal and bake the dough disks for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Use a sharp knife to poke any large bubbles that form during baking.

Remove the focaccia and top with the prosciutto, asparagus, and cheese slices. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the toppings are warm. This should take about 10 minutes. Cut the finished focaccias into wedge shaped pieces before drizzling with the truffle oil. Sprinkle with pepper and serve while hot.

Earthy.Com supplies truffle oil as well as whole fresh and frozen truffles, truffle cream, truffle flavored vinaigrettes and other fine truffle products.

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