This is the third instalment of my truffle series. In this episode, I talk to Jordan Clay from Pipi's Kiosk. Pipi's is one of my absolute favourite restaurants and it is always a pleasure to talk to Jordan. I am fairly certain I have secured some kind of homage to Jo Rittey vanilla and truffle ice cream, but I might be wrong. Whatever they do down there, it is always good and whether that is poutine with truffle or ice cream, I know I will be in good hands.
Conversation with a chef: Let's talk about truffles.
Jordan Clay: Yeah. Totally.
It's coming to truffle season. When does the season start for you?
Well, it's really just when they start to show up in the market. It's usually towards the end of June. And to be honest, being a seafood restaurant, you don't get as many opportunities to showcase truffles as in other types of venues. And unfortunately, I feel like the public's impetus to really go out and enjoy truffles is kind of waning. I don't know whether it's due to the economy, or what, but it's doesn't have the same kind of pop as it did pre COVID. But that could also be because I'm working in a seafood restaurant as opposed to one where there's lots of steaks and pastas and stuff like that. It's just my perception of it.
It's an interesting one because it is there is a financial side, obviously, to truffles. It was interesting talking to Dion from WA, and he was saying his truffles are really comparable to Perigord truffles and that they export now to Europe in their off season, and I find that interesting because for me truffles are so seasonal, so I quite like the idea that you have them when it's cold, and you're having them with hearty dishes or they're giving that light perfume to dishes, but yes, I haven't really thought about the seafood aspect. So, whatisyour ideal dish for a truffle?
For me, and it's very paradoxical, this dish for me, but it's the national dish of Canada, which is poutine. Cheese curds, chips, gravy. In the past, we've done it here, I think we did it in our first year of opening, and it just didn't quite take off, which is absolutely shocking to me because I think as a foreigner coming to this country, something you pick up on quite quickly, especially working in kitchens, is the nation's obsession with hot chips. Especially when you speak to other expats who have moved here, it's a question that comes up. I had a friend move here from the UK, and he'd been here for about a year and a half, and he said to me one day over lunch, what's the deal with the chips? Can you explain that to me? And I'm like, I have no idea. But, chips, truffles, I thought it would be a hit. And it just didn't really take off for some reason.
But then I reckon last year, there was that whole thing with caviar, and everyone was doing bumps of caviar, but then they were dipping their chips into it. So maybe the Zeitgeist will be chips with truffles this year.
Maybe we'll give it another crack for sure. I'm a pretty classic kind of guy besides the poutine. I love it in risotto, and I love it in an omelette. But the big thing for me with truffles and it's like a lot of other luxury kind of food stuffs like caviar. When you have it, you have to really have it, you want to feel the truffle, you want it to be generous, and you don't want it to be too tight. And I think that's a common mistake that people, especially chefs, make when they're doling out the truffles. If people are going to have it, charge what you need to charge, but let them have it.
I wondered if you can have too much of a good thing, but you're saying no, if you're doing it, do it.
Not when it comes to truffles, but you have to keep in mind, this is not using truffle oil. That's also a little bit of an industry sneaky way to extend the truffles, especially if you do a pasta or risotto to just put a couple drops of truffle oil in there just to try and elongate it, but that is sacrilegious. That is, in my opinion a big no no. I do not like truffle oil. I hate it. It's too strong. It's too one dimensional. For me, that's something you can definitely have too much of, for sure.
The big thing for me with truffles and it’s like a lot of other luxury kind of food stuffs like caviar. When you have it, you have to really have it, you want to feel the truffle, you want it to be generous, and you don’t want it to be too tight. And I think that’s a common mistake that people, especially chefs, make when they’re doling out the truffles. If people are going to have it, charge what you need to charge, but let them have it. ~ Jordan Clay, Pipi’s Kiosk
Is there a shelf life for truffles? Should they be really fresh?
They should be as fresh as possible. Its one of those things that the longer they're out of the ground, the more they start to deteriorate, and it's just a sliding scale. The fresher the better. But they also grade them as well, and the grades are indicative of the perfume and the quality.
What are you looking for in a good truffle?
The smell. It's all about the smell for me. Grades are differentiated by shape a lot as well, and that's relevant if you want to slice them, for example. But for me, I like to really incorporate them into things, and I like to grate them with a microplane. And I guess that enables you to get a lower grade, and give more in a lot of ways.
Which wine would you drink with a truffle dish?
Pinots are classic, but it depends on the dish, I suppose. I think truffle is pretty versatile. I think in terms of wine pairings, as long as you don't have anything that's too aromatic, like a Gewurztraminer or certain kind of dramatic or Alsatian pinot blancs, pinot gris. I think you can get away with a lot of different pairings, and nothing that's too high on acid. But again, if you have a really rich dish, and you have like a really drivy kind of Chardonnay, that could also work as well.
What are your thoughts on truffles in sweet things?
I haven't had too many dishes with truffles as a sweet thing. I don't have any in my personal repertoire, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. If you think about what pairs nicely with truffle, it's usually like quite rich and fatty things. I've never personally tried truffle ice cream, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Or truffle and vanilla bean, , vanilla is a really versatile ingredient and it can help lift up a lot of other things. I do a sauce for fish with vanilla and saffron. And you would think that those are two really strong flavours that would dominate each other, but for some reason, it just works. And I would imagine it would work for truffles. Maybe I'll give it a crack this year. Why not?
To me truffles are so earthy and foresty and how exciting to be here eating truffles, but looking out at your amazing view, I love this idea.
I'll give you a credit for the for the inspiration of the vanilla and truffle ice cream.
I definitely want that.
I'm sure it's been done. It's definitely been done before. I've seen it somewhere, but you've inspired me just in this conversation, so that's nice.
Thanks, Jordan.
Pipi's Kiosk, 129a Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park