Decadent main course or elegant appetizer for gourmet Italian or a steak night. If you really want to indulge, go for white truffles! Use white pepper for a cleaner presentation-especially if using white truffles. Economic variation using truffle oil (try any or all of the following options): Drain the pasta and coat with truffle oil before adding the sauce; saute chicken or another additional ingredient in truffle oil; and/or substitute butter with truffle oil. Slicing truffles: the thickness of the truffles greatly alters the flavour of the recipe. The average crowd pleaser is just thicker than paper thin. If paper thin, this will add a very delicate flavour (which you might find favourable if you're serving as an appetizer or side dish), so adjust spices according. Thicker shavings will have a very robust flavouring which is good for a main course or if you are adding any meats to the dish (try prosciutto, roasted chicken, or lobster), however you may want to limit the salt content to avoid making the flavour too savory. Serving a truffle dish: some foodies prefer to hold the truffles until service. Shave truffles as you serve each dish. In this case, shave the truffles very thinly. If using this method, you may want to add some truffle oil to the dish itself to ensure that the entirety of the dish is at least aromatic for those bites that may not catch a truffle shaving. Rescue: if the dish turns out with the flavour too heavy or too savoury, try adding a dash of sugar...works like a charm for me! (Experiment with a small separated portion first to make sure this is an effective cure.) Or toss in a small handful of pulled chicken pieces. May also be served cold.