February 01, 2005
A January Sunday Blue's Dinner: Risotto and a Really Special Red
Sunday dinners are one of the best ways to boost everyone's congeniality when the weather is cold and gray. Since these wintery conditions were met -- it being rather yucky outside -- I decided that a get together was in order.
Attending the party were Pamela and Simon, two friends of ours, both journalists, who recently got married outside of Paris at one of the most delightful weddings I've been to. Simon is an author and columnist for the FT sports pages; and Pamela, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, is now writing a book on adultery -- oh la la! -- which is shaping up to be a cross-cultural set of observations and stories on the topic. With women still losing their lives over even suspected transgressions, and France almost institutionalizing the practice, spanning these distances should be fascinating indeed. Can't wait Pamela :)
Despite Simon being somewhat ill, they generously decided to share with us one of their wedding presents: a beautiful bottle of red wine, a 1983 Château Clerc Milon, Cru Classé Baron Philippe de Rothschild. After a phone consultation earlier in the day, Simon and I decided that this would be perfect accompaniment for a cheese course, since it was too powerful (and too good) to feature with my main dish, a mushroom risotto. So we'd save the best for the almost last!
George, my colleague at INSEAD/CEDEP and co-conspirator in many things, was also there. A frequent visitor to my table, with his own designated napkin, George is also a good cook himself and is famed for his boisterous Indian feasts. Between the two of us we're trying to have regular Sunday shin-digs.
Lastly, our house guests visiting us from the San Francisco Bay Area, Jamais of Worldchanging, the blog I write for, and his wife, Janice, were out having a romantic evening by themselves at a Senegalese restaurant, Au Village, (86, Avenue Parmentier - 75011 Paris - Tél. : 01 43 57 18 95) but they ended up joining the party over dessert and digestifs.
Risotto and a Really Special Red
30 January 2005
Salmon "Two Ways"
Smoked Salmon Crostinis with Crème Frâiche
Grilled Morrocan-spiced Salmon Skewers with Critrus
Sancerre 2003
Domaine Serge LALOUE
Porcini & Wild Mushroom Risotto
Sautéed Corguettes (Zucchini) with Herbe de Provence & Pine Nuts
Mâche Salade with Tangerines and Balsamic Vinigrette
Valpolicella 2003
Assorted Cheese Plate
(Chevre from the Loire, Saint-Nectaire, Munster, Swiss Guyere)
Château Clerc Milon
Cru Classé Baron Philippe de Rothschild
1983 Pauillac
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Warmed Dulce de Leche
Calvados
12 ans
While the guests are welcome to comment themselves (hint!), my two cents on the dinner are as follows: the mushroom risotto was tasty and exactly the kind of comfort dish I was looking for, full of flavour and texture but not as filling as a classic French Sunday dish (say a beef daube or coq au vin.) We also had a vegetarian at the table so everyone was happy. With this positive verdict, I've posted the recipe I improvised and adapted below. It's definitely a winner and worth repeating. (This dish makes wonderful leftovers and you can freeze the risotto into like hamburger-like paddies which can then grilled and turned into a nice first course with a salad.)
The wine, as expected, was wonderful and went perfectly with the cheese. Many thanks for that, Simon and Pamela! Unfortunately, Simon couldn't fully enjoy the experience. He became feverish during the party but felt comfortable enough to retire to the couch, in classic stiff upper lip style, and still managed to pipe in the periodic rejoinder and comment. Back to the wine... We all reflected on how old we were in 1983 when the wine was bottled. Most of us were mere teenagers. Madonna had just released her first record album, and "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club was the top selling single in the UK, and of course Cabbage Patch Kids were the best selling toy of the year. All I can say is that I'm glad the wine made it through the 80s and that many of the other fashions and trends didn't. Leg warmers anyone? Not!
And while I thought no one would have room for dessert, there is nothing so divine as warmed DDL (dulce de leche) over ice cream. Originally from Argentina, the DDL addiction was introduced to me through Toby's family. This particular can of DDL was a Xmas present; it came from Brazil via Toby's cher tante, Pippa, so thank you for this treat! We did serve the dessert in little coffee cups, so portions were just managable -- the perfect injection of silky sweetness to finish off the meal. (George and Toby, however, somehow managed to clean out the DDL bowl... no surprises there.)
Porcini & Wild Mushroom Risotto Recipe
(Recipe adapted from Chef Alan Kantor of the MacCallum House Inn and Restaurant in Mendocino, California)
Ingredients
5+ C vegetable stock*
1 C dried porcini mushrooms
6 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 C finely minced onion
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
1/2 C fresh shitake mushrooms, trimmed, brushed clean and sliced
1/2 C fresh chanterelle mushrooms, trimmed, brushed clean and sliced
1/2 C fresh cremini mushrooms, trimmed, brushed clean and sliced**
2.5 C arborio or calriso rice***
6-8 oz. port
1/2 C white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 C grated parmesan
Finely Chopped Parsley (3/4 cup)
Finely Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil (3/4 cup)
* It really makes a big difference if you make your own stock, which is super easy for vegetable stock, and something that can be done in about 40-60 minutes. See the above link for the recipe.
** I used regular white button mushrooms, but if you can find (and afford) a mixture of wild mushrooms this enhances both the taste and texture.
*** I used a "bio" or organic brand of Arborio rice found at my local Italian provisioner. I think it tasted much better and maintained it's integrity better than the supermarket-store bought varieties.
Method
Bring the stock and porcini mushrooms to a simmer. Keep hot over a low burner.
Melt the butter and oil in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Add the onion and sweat until soft, about 5 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add sliced fresh mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add rice and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes, or until rice is coated with butter and oil and begins to look opaque. Reduce heat to low.
Remove porcini from stock with a slotted spoon, discard any tough parts, and coarsely chop. Add chopped porcinis and port to the rice. Stir for one minute, then add the white wine, and stir for one minute. Then 2 cups hot stock, stirring constantly until liquid is almost absorbed. Season as you go with salt and pepper.
[I stopped the cooking process here and worked on other things, like serve the appetizers and visit with my guests. Toby took it the rest of the way once we were ready to eat the main course]
Continue adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, as the liquid absorbs, stirring constantly. Add the garlic when about two thirds through the stock, towards the end. The rice is done when it is al dente, or firm in the center. This process about 18-25 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese and parsley just before serving. Garnish with chopped sun dried tomatoes.
IMPORTANT TIP: In order to obtain best results, the stock added to risotto should always be hot before it is added.
6-8 Servings
- Nicole
Posted by nicole at February 1, 2005 06:13 PM