What is Tartufato Cheese?
Tartufato cheese is a goat’s milk cheese that has flecks of black truffles. It has a rich, creamy texture and a buttery flavor accented with the earthy notes of truffle. It can be used for cooking or as part of an appetizer or dessert platter.
What does Tartufato Cheese Taste Like?
...Salty is one of the five main tastes. It has a satisfying and addictive quality with hints of sourness. Salty foods include cheeses, cured meats, chips, and olives. It is used in almost every dish and prepared food. Salt is added to enhance flavor and offer a distinctly salty taste.
...Umami is one of five main tastes. It is savory with a depth of flavor. Umami is a taste in many foods, including meat, seafood, beans, and nuts. It is both naturally occurring and created through the specific use of ingredients to create a satisfying taste. Umami is characteristic of proteins and savory dishes.
Ingredients
...Milk is almost always sourced come from cows. Sometimes sheep, goat, yak and water buffalo milk are used. In general, store bough milk comes from a cow, unless specified otherwise. Whole milk is white, or cream colored and has a higher fat content than skim milk and therefore a creamier and richer texture and flavor. The flavor is mild and bland with a hint of savory sweetness and is satisfying, especially due to its creaminess. Milk is served as a beverage and used in a multitude of dishes both sweet and savory.
...Cream is the fat derived from milk. Other milking animals can produce cream, but it is most commonly obtained from cows. The cream can vary from an off white to a pale golden color. The texture is smooth and can be thick, like a high fat yogurt, or thin, as is often seen in store bought cartons of whipping cream. The flavor is delicate, milky and buttery. Cream is used in a huge variety of food items and dishes, from baked goods, to curries, as glaze for scones, or a flavoring for tea and coffee.
...Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
...Black Truffles are fungi similar to mushrooms that grow a few inches underground in the hardwood forests of Italy. They are harvested with the help of specially trained dogs from November to February. Truffles have a rich, earthy taste with notes of cocoa and tannins, and a firm texture. Black truffles are also used to flavor foie gras pate or terrines.
...Cheese starter is made from milk, or lab made and sold powdered or frozen. The starter is formed of healthy bacteria that quickly facilitates the process of raising the acidity levels in milk and changing it to lactic acid; a necessary aspect in cheese making. This helps the cheese to form and is used by cheese makers to aid in the process of creating their product.