Oregon Truffle Festival Starts This Weekend; 4 Last-Minute Ways to Eat Truffles

For 11 years, the Oregon Truffle Festival has been sharing its message: white truffles, one of the most prized and rare cooking ingredients in the world, grow wild in abundance in Oregon. This year, the festival is throwing another round of decadent dinners and events dedicated to Oregon truffles, and a few still have tickets:

SHAVED & INFUSED—On the night of Friday, January 22, head to Newberg's Chehalem Cultural Center's Grand Ballroom to taste around eighteen white and black truffle dishes prepared by Pacific Northwest chefs. The walk-around event runs 6:30 to 9 p.m. and costs $165, and featured chefs include Eli Cairo (Olympia Provisions), Johanna Ware (Smallwares), Emily & Stuart Phillips (Red Wagon Creamery), Carlo Lamagna (Clyde Common), Sarah Schafer (Irving Street Kitchen), Robin Jackson (Knight Inlet Lodge), Dustin Clark (Besaw's), Anh Luu (Tapalaya), and Jonathan Hoffman (Chefs Table).

THE BLACK & WHITE DINNER SERIES—A variety of restaurants in Willamette Valley will host truffle dinners in conjunction with the festival on January 23, and two options still have seats left. At The Barlow Room, sample truffle-loaded sandwiches, pastas, a signature burger, and other dishes with beers by Wolves & People Brewery for $80, and at The Dundee Bistro, find a four-course meal by chef Christopher Flanagan for $110.

JORIAD NORTH AMERICAN TRUFFLE DOG CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS CEREMONY—This event brings truffle-infused dishes and truffle-hunting dogs to Willamette Valley Vineyards on January 17. You can't watch the truffle dog competition, but the winning dogs will go on parade. Afterward, celebrate the winners and the kick off to the festival with a walk-around food and wine pairing in the Willamette Valley Vineyards wine cellar. Dishes include diver scallops with chablis truffle cream and rabbit in porchetta with white truffle, dehydrated black lentils, and quail egg. (Make sure not to confuse this event with The Joriad North American Truffle Dog Championship - Day 1 Competition, which will be held in Eugene on January 16).

NEWBERG FRESH TRUFFLE MARKETPLACE—You won't find composed truffle dishes at this January 24 event, but for just $18 ($15 in advance) you can tour this Newberg market and purchase your own Oregon white and black truffles for home use. Plenty of other food artisans will offer samples of truffle-related products, too.