Creamy Parmesan Grits with Black Truffles and Veal Bacon
Chef Marco Moreira of Tocqueville Restaurant – New York, NY
Adapted by Starchefs

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

Veal bacon:
• 1 cup kosher salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 Tablespoon white pepper corns
• ½ Tablespoon juniper berries
• 1 pound boneless veal breast (slab)


Grits:
• 4 cups milk
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups white corn meal
• 2 Tablespoons chopped black truffle (fresh if available)
• 1 Tablespoon black truffle oil
• 2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 small chicken eggs
  
  Truffle sauce:
• ¼ cup chicken jus
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 Tablespoon truffle oil
• 1 Tablespoon whipped cream or crème fraiche
• 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces.

Method:
For veal bacon:
Mix salt and sugar, then combine with the spices and rub on both sides of the veal. Cover in plastic wrap and allow meat to rest in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Set up smoker with applewood chips. Smoke at medium heat for 20 minutes. Let cool. Slice thinly on a meat slicer.

For grits:
Bring milk and chicken stock to boil over medium heat. Whisk in white corn meal and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chopped black truffles, truffle oil, and grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, fry chicken eggs, sunny-side up.

For truffle sauce:
Combine chicken jus with stock and bring to simmer in a saucepan. Season with salt, pepper, truffle oil and crème fraiche or whipped cream. Emulsify with stick blender or whisk. Finish sauce with butter, whisking until combined.

To serve:
Spoon hot corn meal in center of warmed plates. Garnish with two slices of hot veal bacon, a sunny-side up egg and the truffle sauce spooned around the grits.

Wine Pairing:
A well-aged Grand Cru white Burgundy – Cote de Beaunne or Chablis – would pair very well, if you don’t have access to older wines try a smooth Nebbiolo such as the Sottimano Barbaresco “Fausoni” 2001