Prosecco Risotto with Pear and White Truffle
This deliciously creamy and delicately flavoured risotto will be a show stopper at any dinner party. But you may just love it so much that sharing with others will become a real challenge.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- wooden spoon
- Kettle or 2nd saucepan
Ingredients
- 250 gr risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli) measure is for starter portions, 300-320gr if main course.
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbs unsalted butter
- 2 shallots (or 1/2 golden onion) chopped
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 200 ml prosecco or dry white wine use a prosecco made in the 'metodo classico' for an optimum pairing
- 100gr tbsp Grana Padano or Parmesan finely grated or shaved
- 1/4 Williams pear finely sliced
- 30 gr fresh white truffle or white truffle oil 5-8gr per portion of white truffle
- 1 tbsp vegetable or chicken stock powder omit if using liquid stock listed below
- salt & fresh black pepper for seasoning
- 500 ml 300ml water and 200ml hot chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Bring around 600ml of water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan.
- In the meantime, chop the shallots finely.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the shallots. Sauce the onions in the olive oil for around 2-3 minutes stirring throughout. Be careful not to brown them.
- Add the rice and stir well coating all rice-grains in the oil, approx. 2-3 minutes
- Pour in the prosecco and glaze the rice. The turn up the heat and bring to a gentle boil. Let it cook down, stirring often.
- Now add the vegetable stock and 1/2 tsp of salt. Continue cooking until the liquid reduces again. Remember to stir often and scrap the bottom to not let any rice stick.
- Continue adding water until the rice is nearly cooked.
- When the water has almost completely been absorbed and the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and add the butter and half the grated cheese. Add the truffle oil, if using. Stir thoroughly until the butter and cheese are melted and the risotto is creamy.
- serve the risotto on individual plates or bowl and, using a potato or vegetable slicer, shave 2 or 3 thin pear shavings on top. Sprinkle with thyme or a little parsley and finish by shaving very fine slices of white truffle over each portion. (5-8gr per portion).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
This is one of the best risottos ever! A perfect combination of delicate flavours and a rich creamy texture, makes this a hard to resist starter or main course. The delicious aroma of the white truffle melts beautifully into the sweetness of the prosecco and finely sliced pear that underlines its creamy texture perfectly. It is not only an easy to make risotto, but it is also a versatile and can be easily adapted if white truffles aren't available.
Serve with the remaining prosecco or a delicate white wine such as Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Chablis.
Note: If using prosecco in this recipe, use a prosecco that is produced in the 'metodo classico', instead of the Charmat Method. As the second fermentation of a 'classico' prosecco takes place directly in the bottle, its finer peerage and yeast, match the delicate taste of the aromatic tuber perfectly.
