Luxury Ingredients Are Back on the Table

By Lacey Tisch-Sidney for TravelsinTaste

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- No industry was exempt when the recession hit in 2008, and our taste buds took a hit too. For the past two years, chefs, rightfully so, have not been focusing as much on the expensive and rare high-end ingredients -- those hard-to-find, in most cases hard-to-prepare and extremely easy-to-mess-up items -- that make us swoon.

More From TravelsinTaste

CUT: A Cut Above the Rest

Michael Jordan's The Steak House N.Y.C.: Sumptuous Steaks

Strip House: A Sexy Steakhouse Like No Other in Manhattan

"Quality products are always sought after, as human beings will always be fascinated with the idea of eating luxury," says Shaun Hergatt, executive chef and owner of SHO Shaun Hergatt.

Diners are starting to eat luxury, and swoon, again.

It is black truffle season and, with the economy inching its way back to normal, people seem to be picking up these "diamonds of the kitchen" in droves. Chefs from our favorite fine-dining locales are also showcasing foie gras, white truffles, caviar, squab and other high-end items -- a bit of decadence that still emphasizes the true flavor of the ingredients.

On New York's Upper East Side, Rouge Tomate is serving up Crescent Farms Duck Terrine, a jellied meatloaf, made from foie gras and a Black Winter Truffle Risotto embellished with parmesan and squid ink. At Le Bernardin, chef Eric Ripert offers Kobe Beef upon request and three different types of caviar that can cost up to $220 per ounce depending on the origin. Chef Daniel Boulud is known for extravagant dishes, and his latest -- frog legs, one of the better-known delicacies of French and Cantonese cuisine, paired with a fricassee with kuri squash chanterelles, pine nuts, crispy lollipops, black garlic and a tahoon cress -- brings an infusion of extraordinary flavor. The outcome is well worth the cost. Meanwhile, Hergatt wows with his Hudson Valley Foie Gras Torchon garnished with black truffle and apple in three forms.