Before and After

Forget nose jobs and cellulite creams, or whatever miracle fix the magazines are selling this year. These are my kind of Before and After photos. I'm making sea bass with Chinese black rice for Christmas Eve dinner, and to make it extra special, I've decided to add a bit of black truffle to the mix. I bought my specimen (whole truffles do have a lovely fossilized quality) at a store selling Provencal specialties on the road from Cereste to Mane.

Never having purchased a whole truffle before, I was in need of detailed instructions. Still encased in a hard layer of local soil, my precious ingredient looked more like a chocolate truffle dusted with Dutch cocoa powder than the roi des champignons.

The venduese told me to take a moist toothbrush and massage gently until the layer of brown gave way to a cratered geological black. Then wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. When the big day arrives, I am to grate my frozen truffle directly into the risotto, and inhale deeply.

I'm naturally suspicious of instant transformation. But this seems like a kind of alchemy worth trying. How are your holiday preparations going?