For the Love of Truffles

"There are hundreds of species of truffles, but the fruiting body of some (mostly in the genus Tuber) are highly prized as a food: Brillat-Savarin called them "the diamond of the kitchen". Edible truffles are held in high esteem in French, Spanish, northern Italian and Greek cooking, as well as in international haute cuisine." - Wikipedia

That sums it up - "the diamond of the kitchen."  Which is interesting because I hate mushrooms.  It's a texture thing - I don't even like to touch them.  However, truffle oil - more please.  This fruiting body of a mushroom is extremely flavorful, and far less expensive than the entire truffle.  Needless to say, I have a slight obsession.  Truffle Mac & Cheese, forget about it.  Truffle fries, oh dear.  I had a craving that needed to be satisfied.

Today, I picked up a bottle of truffle oil.  What to put it in, what not to put it in?  I happened to also be craving carbs - the perfect pasta.

Creamy Pasta with Truffle Oil
Ingredients
8 oz. uncooked pasta
1 cup milk
4 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic compound butter 
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons truffle oil
Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese, shredded

Compound Garlic Butter

1 whole head garlic, papery skins removed and about 1/2-inch cut off the top to expose cloves
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 tablespoons European style butter, at room temperature
1 large clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
To make the butter, preheat oven to 400º.  Place the head of garlic on a square of foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap tightly and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft to the touch.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Press each clove into a small mixing bowl and smash with a fork. Add the butter, minced garlic and black pepper and stir to combine.  Using a rubber spatula, scrape butter onto a sheet of wax paper.  Roll into a log, then twist the ends closed. Refrigerate until just firm enough to slice.  (Can be made ahead of time.)

To make the pasta, bring water to the boil.  Add the pasta and cook as directed on package.  Meanwhile, heat the compound garlic butter until melted, add flour until just combined.  Add the cream cheese, stirring constantly.  Warm milk slightly in microwave; add to butter, flour and cream cheese mixture slowly, whisking constantly.

Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 - 1/2 pasta water and return to pot.  Pour cream mixture over pasta and stir to combine.  If pasta is too thick, add remaining pasta water.  Sprinkle grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper on top and serve immediately.