Rare finds from the underground will meet fruits of the land and sea in Citrique’s latest ‘Producer Spotlight’ series of collaborative menus. This time around, executive chef Paul Smart has partnered with truffle supplier Debbie Oliver – who is perhaps best known as Lady Truffle – to showcase exquisite black truffles from Australia’s truffle capital, Manjimup, Western Australia in a sumptuous new six-course degustation menu. The menu is intended to take diners on a culinary journey that highlights the diverse and unexpected ways the delicacy can be experienced.
The Producer Spotlight series aims to put a spotlight on ingredients that will captivate diners looking to delve a little deeper into the stories behind the food on the plate. Earlier this year, the series saw a collaboration with Umar Nguyen to bring underutilised seafood from nearby shores to the forefront.
“Working with Debbie Oliver to bring this iteration to life has been an incredible journey that has taken us all the way to Western Australia for the Lady Truffle Tour ahead of the Truffle Kerfuffle Festival, where we hunted with the help of highly trained rescue dogs for the earth’s most sought-after delicacies in the fertile soil of Manjimup to unearth the first truffles of the season”, said executive chef, Paul Smart.
“The Manjimup Black Truffle lends itself well to the produce we work with at Citrique. Local seafood features heavily on our menu and I wanted to showcase some unexpected combinations that would really marry well with the flavour of the truffles – as well as the traditional pairings our diners know and love.”
The six-course menu opens with duck pate with truffle brioche, before moving on to seared sea scallops with truffle orzo and shaved fresh truffle and Glacier 51 toothfish with asparagus and truffle-cream sauce. Contrasting textures take centre stage with the main meat dishes – lamb cutlet with truffle mousse, pomme puree and truffle jus and wagyu beef with truffle rosti, heirloom carrots and shiraz jus. Bringing the fanciful fungi-filled feast to a finale is a decadent chocolate truffle hazelnut financier with macae truffle cremeux hidden inside, reminiscent of the thrilling moment of unearthing a treasure on a truffle hunt.
The six-course Producer Spotlight menu will be available at Citrique from July 9 until September 12 for $129 per person (additional $59 per person for six-course wine pairing). Bookings can be made here.
Image credit: supplied.