Sweethearts Dinner: Pear & Pomegranate Salad and Shrimp with Lemon Risotto

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Sweethearts Dinner

Pomegranate & Pear Salad and Sauteed Shrimp with Lemon Risotto

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 2

Author Dressing from McCormick ][ Risotto from Epicurious ][ Shrimp from Tyler Florence

Ingredients

Salad:

• Seeds of 1 pomegranate
• 1 pear cored and thinly sliced
• Field Greens
• Crumbled Feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Salt
• Pepper

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Lemon Risotto:

• 3 cups canned chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice {yes it HAS to be Arborio rice}
• 1/8 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 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:

• 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp peeled and cleaned
• 1/4 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
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish

Instructions

Salad:

1. 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.
2. 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:

1. Bring broth to a simmer in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and keep warm.
2. 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.
3. Add 3/4 cup warm broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes.
4. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.

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.