WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH SWEET CORN AND FINES HERBES/SLOW-ROASTED SALMON WITH CUCUMBERS, LEMON, AND DILL/
GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BASIL/
GOAT CHEESE BAKED IN FIG LEAVES WITH FRESH FIGS, WALNUT LEVAIN BREAD, AND HONEY/
Ah, risotto. When I was in my mid-twenties, I remember a friend being shocked upon learning I’d never eaten or made risotto. He promptly invited us over for a risotto dinner, and the rest is history—risotto became one of my mainstays. I served it to my fellow cast-members of The Merchant of Venice at one of our many parties. I made it for New Year’s Eve many a year, usually flavored with saffron. When I worked for a large, high-end catering company, they booked me for any party that had risotto on the menu. Once, I remember supervising five cooks, each stirring a giant cauldron of wild mushroom risotto, for a fund-raiser with 500 guests. I demonstrated risotto to my Culinary Arts students at Deep Springs, an early autumn version containing butternut squash and fresh sage.
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