CHANTERELLE MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH SAGE BROWN BUTTER CORN & SEARED SCALLOPS

This past Saturday, Mark and I made the trek out to Santa Monica to have brunch with Jessica and Lauren down on Third Street Promenade.  The service was bad but the crepes stuffed with ham, eggs, and emmenthal cheese were a delight.  Afterward, we swung through the farmers' market so I could do a little research for a post that I'm doing for Apartment Therapy.  I found one stand in particular to be quite intriguing - one that specialized in wild mushrooms. 

Growing up, mushrooms were one of the many vegetables that I refused to eat, although my disgust was based on the leathery, grey bits found in Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup which was often the base for whatever casserole was being served for dinner.  (Did that sound bitchy?)  Even non-processed mushrooms were suspect, specifically the creepy gills on the underside of the cap.  To be honest, they still kind of give me the willies.  But it's something that I'm working through.  That's why I was sort of excited to see this mushroom stand, in particular the big box of Chanterelles.  Just the name alone is enough to reconsider the boycot.  "Chanterelle."  It's just so glamorous and elegant sounding.  And no gills.

"What do chanterelles taste like?" I asked the tattooed mushroom seller.  He explained that they have a delicate flavor with hints of apricot.  I loved the sound of that.  There was even a little card next to the box of chanterelles with a recipe - Chanterelle and corn risotto.  I loved that sound of that even more.  The resulting dish is more of a combination of the one on the card and a recipe I found in Sunday Suppers at Lucque.  That recipe was actually for a ricotta gnocchi with chanterelle, corn and sage brown butter sauce, but I sort of repurposed it.  I thought it worked well.

INGREDIENTS
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups aborio rice
1/2 pound Chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned, 2/3 of the mushrooms finely chopped, the remaining 1/3 coarsley chopped
2 large ears of corn, kernals cut from the cobs
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh sage, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Sea scallops, 4 per person

METHOD
First make the risotto.  In a medium pot, combine the chicken stock with half of the finely chopped mushrooms and 1/2 tablespoon of the thyme, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Heat a large pot over medium high heat for a minute or so.  Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and when it gets hot, add the chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Cook the onions for a couple minutes until they soften and then add half the corn, and the rest of the finely chopped mushrooms. 

Saute for about 4 more minutes then add the rice.  Stir to coat and saute for about 2 more mintues, until the rice becomes slightly translucent.  Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.  Ladle in 1 cup of the simmering stock and stir until it has been absorbed by the rice.  Continue adding ladlefuls of stock and stirring as the rice cooks and absorbs and gets soft.  The process should probably take about 30 minutes.  I find that you don't have to stand by the pot and stir constantly.  Just quite a bit, if that makes sense.  When it looks like you have just a few ladlefuls of stock left, taste the risotto for seasoning and texture.  The consistency should be soft with just a hint of bite.  You may not need all of the stock.  When the risotto is done, cover and turn off the heat while we move on to the next step.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat for two minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat for 1 minute until the oil ripples.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and when it foams, add the remaining coarsley chopped mushrooms, 1/2 tablespoon of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a healthy pinch of pepper.

Saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're tender and a little crispy.  But don't be attempted to stir them TOO much in the beginning.  Let them sear a little, before stirring.  Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a bowl.

Return the pan to the stove and heat over high for 1 minute.  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the pan and cook for a minute or two, until the butter starts to brown.  Add the sage, let it sizzle, and then add the corn, shallots, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. 

Saute quickly, stirring the corn in the hot butter for about 2 minutes, until the corn is just tender.  Add the corn to the bowl with the sauteed mushrooms.

Return the pan to the stove and heat over high heat for a minute or so.  Pat the scallops dry with a papper towel and season with salt and pepper.  Add a little olive oil to the pan and when it ripples, gently place the scallops in the pan and sear for about 1 minute per side, turning once. 

I placed mine around the edges so they would all cook evenly.  The middle of the pan is hotter than the edges.

To serve, spoon a mound of risotto into each bowl, spoon over some of the sauted mushroom, sage brown butter corn mixture, and top with the seared scallops.

This dish is a great sort of transition from end of summer into the fall.  The corn is sweet, the mushrooms also sweet yet earthy.  You could just make the risotto and skip the sauteing portion, but I don't recommend it. It really gives the dish an amazing combination of textures.  The risotto itself gets infused with the flavors of the mushrooms and corn but the sauteed mushrooms and corn really preserve their textures - the corn just pops in your mouth and the mushrooms are meaty and a little crispy around the edges.  The sage brown butter and the tender, seared scallops give the dish an amazing finish.

The risotto would be great to serve for a little dinner party, especially if any guests are vegetarian.  The risotto can be made in advance (but not too far) and the sauteeing section takes no time and can be done at the last minute.  The resulting dish is so elegant, but in a very casual way.  I mean, what could be better than a big shallow bowl of steaming rice, corn, and mushrooms and a glass of wine?

Serves 6.

Comments

[aria]

omg that looks unbelievable. all the flavors together sounds so good. excuse me while i eat my monitor real quick. my husband is the same way about mushrooms!

[Jessica]

Wow, this looks like a wonderful combination. I've actually been wanting to try the ricotta recipe out of Lucques, but this is such a good idea too - and much easier.

I can't think of anything I love more than meaty mushrooms and corn, so I'm making a mental note right now not to wait any longer before trying this combo.

And what a perfect dish for early fall!

Fabulous.

[beth]

I love risotto and I cook it regularly.

I notice that there is no instruction to continuously stir the risotto after each addition of liquid. Was this an oversight or have you just changed my life?

Risotto without all the stirring? Sounds too good to be true!

[beth]

BTW: I meant to add, this sounds incredibly delicious.

[Grant]

Aria - Thank you so much. If your husband is on the fence about mushrooms, I think Chanterelles are a pretty good entry into the world of fungi. They are mild and the texture is very easy, if that makes sense. They can be quite expensive, so if you can, try to find them at a farmers' market.

Jessica - I too want to attempt the gnocchi but I haven't had the best luck with making my own pasta, so I'm slightly hesitant. One day I'll brave gnocchi. In the meantime this was a pretty good alternate.

Beth - Opps. Thanks for pointing that out. I've gone back and changed the instruction. You sort of do have to stir the risotto a lot. But I don't actually do it constantly. Sometimes I pause and refill my glass of wine.

[Ari (Baking and Books)]

This looks really tasty and I love how you included to many photos in your post. You're making me fee lazy!

[Morgan]

Thanks for this recipe! I used the basics of it and it was SO GOOD. (Not your fault the maitaike mushroom I used made me sick. :) ) The recipe was great for a non-mushroom lover because the flavour is so amazing and the texture isn't at all icky like most mushrooms.

[eatdrinknbmerry]

Hi Grant, I found your page off Immaeatchu's. We've worked together on a few catering things and love to eat/cook as well. This dish looks great, I'd love to try it out. Is this from the Lucques Supper book too? I should get a copy. My question is about the scallops, do u ever have the problem of watery scallops? When there's too much water in the pan, you won't get the nice sear. Even after i pat them dry, i sear them on high in a skillet, and don't get that nice crust like restaurants.

[ron]

it needed just a 1/3 cup of parmiggiano into the risotto to finish it off.

also, I used corn stock made from the husks, water, scallions greens, celerey, thyme, bay leaf, s&p.

really good. thanks

[Dan]

if you are having problems with searing the scallops it is probably because you are using wet packed scallops. these are sold with an added chemical to keep them moist and are frozen at some point. dry packed are fresh and the chemical is not added. the dry packed scallops will sear the way you would expect them too, the wet packed will not sear on their own they need a dredging in flour to get the effect you are looking for.

[generic cialis]

How can I encourage/make mushroom spores germinate ?
I can collect lots of spores (standard spore prints)from edible
mushrooms growing in nearby woods, but I would like to know what
conditions will encourage germination of these spores on the
appropriate species of wood?

[psychic reading]

I have been storing a lot of food lately, wondering if I am doing the right thing, I hope so. I think that we are living in dangerous times, it is all about survival , and the getting through tough times.What do you think?