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1
Remove the beef from the refrigerator no more than 15 minutes before service. Rub the chopping board lightly with fine salt to neutralise any board flavours. Using a sharp boning knife, cut the chilled Fassona first into thin slices, then into fine strips, then across into a coarse mince — working quickly to keep the meat cold and the cuts discrete. No food processor or grinder is used at any stage. The result is ready when the pieces are uniform small morsels with visible texture, not a paste.
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2
This is where the dish lives or dies. Immediately before plating — within five minutes of service — transfer the chopped Fassona to a chilled bowl. Add the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and white pepper. Turn the beef gently once or twice to coat each morsel. The lemon begins altering the raw protein the moment it makes contact; any delay beyond five minutes from this point to the table is unacceptable. The dressed beef should glisten evenly, retain its coarse texture, and smell clean and faintly sweet.
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3
Divide the dressed Fassona between four plates, pressing it lightly into a neat round at the centre. The meat must be at room temperature — not cold from the refrigerator — so that both the delicate flavour of the Fassona and the volatile aroma compounds of the truffle express fully.
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4
Using a mandoline, shave the fresh Tartufo Bianco d'Alba in thin, translucent slices directly over each plate at the table or at the pass, immediately before service. The truffle is co-equal with the beef, not a garnish. The volatile aromatics dissipate rapidly; the shaving must not precede service by more than a few seconds. The dish is complete when the truffle fragrance — earthy, garlicky, honey-like — rises unmistakably from the plate.