Creamy Risotto with Pears and Blue Cheese
Instructions
Enjoy this rich and creamy risotto made with Carolina® Arborio Rice, blue cheese and sauteed pears enriched with butter, shallots and garlic. Drizzle with a balsamic glaze and chopped walnuts for the finishing touches.
Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add pears and saute until pears are golden and tender. Reserve.Step 2
In a medium saucepan, heat remaining oil and butter over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute 1 minute.Step 3
Add rice and stir until all grains are coated and slightly translucent, about 2 minutes. Add wine and stir over medium high heat until all wine is absorbed.Step 4
Add about 1 cup of hot broth to rice and stir constantly until almost all the broth is absorbed. Continue to add hot broth, one cup at a time, stirring until liquid is absorbed, before adding more broth. Use enough broth to cook the rice until it is just al dente.Step 3
Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Gently fold in reserved pears. Serve topped with walnuts and drizzled with balsamic glaze, if desired.
Your New Favorite Risotto
This creamy blue cheese and pear risotto combines sweet and savory flavors perfectly. You’ll want to jot this one down for when you want to impress your dinner guests or family and don’t forget to add the show-stopping final touch of drizzled balsamic glaze and chopped walnuts.
Cooking Tips
Now, let’s talk about the ingredients. To make a nice and creamy risotto, you’ll want to choose the right rice. We suggest Carolina® Arborio rice as it is specially crafted for making risottos. The reason it works perfectly is that the medium grain rice granules, when cooked, are higher in starch content which helps them to absorb the flavor of the ingredients while still maintaining that traditional creamy and chewy risotto texture. Another rice may not give that desired end result you expect from risotto.
Not a fan of blue cheese? Swap in a lighter flavored cheese like goat cheese or brie to keep that gooey texture without an overpowering cheese taste. Or feel free to try a classic like this Creamy Mushroom Risotto.
Is it necessary to use both butter and oil? If you only have one, it is ok to use either just butter or oil, but the reason they are used together is that butter tends to have more flavor in general but cooks at a lower temperature and oil may be lighter but can reach a higher heat. The combination adds both flavor and cooking efficiency.
Find all kinds of meal ideas in our Cooking and Recipe sections including a variety of options from meaty main dishes to tasty vegan rice pudding desserts.
