So you've taken the giant leap and forked out a few hundred dollars for an enormous white truffle. Now you are wondering how to properly store, cook, and even what wine to serve to maximize your truffle dollar. Pour yourself a giant glass of a Barolo and let me help you out with a few pro-tips that will ensure you get the most for your truffle dollar and have a truffle experience better than you would get in any high-end restaurant.

Chickpea Fries, also known as panisses, are a staple food from the south of France and parts of Italy. Panisses are made by slowly cooking chickpea flour and water into a thick porridge, pouring it onto an oiled pan, and cooling overnight, then cut into finger-sized shapes and deep-frying.

Coq au Vin is my personal soul food. I started making the current round of coq au vin 4 or 5 days ago. Coq au vin is a dish better suited to preparing at a grandmotherly pace. Like all great stews, it is better done slowly over a longer period of time to allow the full flavors to develop and mature. Coq au Vin is best prepared at home where it retains the patina of its origins rather than in a restaurant setting where it dies a soulless death.

When I saw the pork cheeks my mind wandered to a pasta dish I made professionally with wild boar using bittersweet chocolate pasta as a foil to the sweet and spicy notes in the sauce. Hazelnuts, orange, and bittersweet chocolate are the perfect match for fatty, unctuous pork cheeks when perfectly braised.