It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Did you know? You didn’t?!?!! Better get your butt in gear buddy and whip up an amazing dinner for the Mrs. before you’re left sleeping on the couch… alone… on Valentine’s Day. That sounds horrible. I know.
You shouldn’t be faulted for “forgetting” a Tuesday, but whatever. In case your other half is a big V-Day freak, here’s a dinner menu that is sure to get you a nice back rub and maybe more. ;) Like a bubble bath and a glass of wine…while you get to relax alone. That sounds AWESOME!!
Come join The Salad Social at TidyMom sponsored by The International Olive Council’s Add Some Life.
{Pomegranate & Pear Salad}
Now that you’ve got your hunny’s attention, it’s time to wow them with your fancy chef skills. Risotto is unctuous and wonderful. Unctuous is such a great word.
I love really good words. I’ll have to post more about that later,
we’ve got dinner to cook!
I have to admit my risotto did not come out right.
Good risotto should ooze on the plate a little. I used cheapo grated (powdery) Parmesan cheese.
It made the entire batch of perfectly oozing risotto tighten up. Use freshly shaved Parmesan here. Please.
Sweethearts Dinner
Author: Dressing from McCormick ][ Risotto from Epicurious ][ Shrimp from Tyler Florence
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Pomegranate & Pear Salad and Sauteed Shrimp with Lemon Risotto
Ingredients
Salad:
- Seeds of 1 pomegranate
- 1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
- Field Greens
- Crumbled Feta cheese
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Salt
- Pepper
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup pomegranate juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Lemon Risotto:
- 3 cups canned chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2¼ teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice {yes, it HAS to be Arborio rice}
- ⅛ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Sauteed Shrimp:
- ½ pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and cleaned
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Salad:
- Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients in and small bowl until well combined. Or you could put everything into a bottle/jar and shake vinaigrette ingredients to combine.
- To plate: place field greens on your plate. Top with cheese, pears and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with vinaigrette and then drizzle with honey.
Risotto:
- Bring broth to a simmer in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep warm.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter with oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds.
- Add ¾ cup warm broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth ¼ cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes.
- Stir in cheese and remaining tablespoon butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Plate and serve warm.
Shrimp:
- Pour the flour on a plate and season with a healty amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to combine evenly. Dredge the shrimp in the season flour to coat all sides. Shake excess flour off shrimp.
- Heat the butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter stops foaming and just starts to turn a light brown. Add the shrimp, and give it a toss. Saute for 5 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp is firm and there is a crispy coating on the outside. Remove shrimp to a side plate and cover to keep warm.
- Put the pan back on the heat and add the garlic and shallots. Cook and stir for 1 minute until soft. Add the lemon juice and chicken broth, give it a stir and let it cook down for 1 minute to thicken slightly. Pout the shrimp back in the pan and coat in the lemon sauce. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
To Plate:
- Put a few spoonfuls of risotto on the plate, allowing it to spread a little. Top risotto with shrimp. Garnish with some chopped parsley and half a lemon.
For dessert, cupcakes. Everybody like cupcakes. Okay not my friend Rusty, but he doesn’t like anything sweet. I still can’t wrap my head around that idea, but whatever.
These cupcakes are sure to make you and your hunny melt.
And they have booze in them which is never bad thing.
Asti Tortine Rose (Pink Asti Cupcakes)
Make sure you tell your love the name of this dessert in Italian. You’ll sound smart, seductive, and super sexy when you roll those R’s. (Ah-stee Tort-een-eh Rows-eh)
I highly recommend serving the white wine you use for your risotto with your salad and entree. For a little bubbly kick, switch over to Martini & Rossi Asti with dessert. You can’t go wrong serving the wine you put in your food. It’s a foolproof pairing.
Hi Julie! I have awarded you with The Versatile Blogger Award because I love your blog
For more info, check out my post: http://mdoublemcrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/versatile-blogger-award.html
PS – That risotto looks amazing! It's on my 'recipes to try' pinboard now.
Thank you so much Monica!! I'm completely flattered.
Oh and I had to swing by your etsy shop, I'm loving all the sheet music decoupage.
That pomegranate & pear salad looks so fresh and delicious. And the shrimp risotto? WOW! Thanks so much for linking this up with Mop It Up Mondays at i should be mopping the floor last week. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
{HUGS},
kristi
So many unique recipes here!! Love the flavor combinations! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!
Always! Link parties are my bread and butter now.
I'll always link up at Oopsey Daisy! Thanks again for the feature a couple weeks ago. My traffic has gone up ten fold in the last three weeks and I'm sure features like yours have been a major factor.