olive oil. Add the remaining onions, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, thyme, bayleaf, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Decrease the heat to medium and cook the vegetables until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the rice to the pan, stir, and cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining ½ cup white wine and cook until most of the wine is absorbed in the rice. Add the warm chicken stock in ¼-cup increments, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding chicken stock, stirring, until the rice is al dente.
Finish the risotto with the butter and lemon zest and juice. Remove the herbs and adjust the seasoning.
To prepare the shrimp, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Season the shrimp on both sides with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Decrease the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp. Cook the shrimp on each side for 1 minute, to give them nice color, then transfer them to a plate.
For each serving, divide the risotto evenly among four bowls and top each with six shrimp. Spoon the sauce around the risotto and garnish with green onions and fresh thyme leaves.
BLACK TRUFFLE GRITS
S ERVES 6
This dish is really the ultimate in “high-low” cooking. The high-class truffle elevates the lowly grits into a dish reserved for your most special occasions. Black truffle puree is a good chunk of change, so serve this with an inexpensive, yet unctuous braised meat, such as beef short ribs or pig cheeks. If you can’t find cuts such as those, try it with a simple chicken dish.
4 cups whole milk
1 cup quick grits
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (⅞-ounce) tube black truffle puree (see Sources )
2 teaspoons white truffle oil (see Sources )
To prepare the grits, warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges, about 5 minutes. Whisk the grits into the milk and decrease the heat to medium-low. Let the grits cook for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent clumps. Finish the grits by whisking in the butter, heavy cream, salt, pepper, truffle puree, and truffle oil. Cover the pot of grits with a lid and remove from the heat.
Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, covered, for up to 20 minutes.
CORNMEAL POLENTA WITH GOAT CHEESE
S ERVES 4
Polenta is made from cornmeal, but a larger grind than the cornmeal we use for making cornbread. We use the fine cornbread cornmeal instead, resulting in a much quicker cooking time than the hour or so it takes for traditional polenta. Tangy goat cheese makes this side dish scream out for game meat in a dark, fruity sauce.
3 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup fine cornmeal
4 ounces Louisiana goat cheese (or any chèvre will do)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Bring the milk to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan. Add the salt and, using a whisk, whisk in the cornmeal. Decrease the heat to medium-high and cook the polenta until it starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. Decrease the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. The polenta is ready when the cornmeal is no longer gritty. Add the goat cheese and butter, stirring to incorporate.
Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, covered, until needed.
PECAN RICE
S ERVES 4
This dish is a rice pilaf, where the rice is toasted in oil with onion before liquid is added to finish the cooking. The addition of chopped pecans adds an additional nuttiness to the toasted rice. Pilafs are usually made with a meat-based stock like chicken; if you want a vegetarian version, you can easily substitute vegetable stock or water. We like to serve this with the Coffee Roasted Pork Loin or alongside our turkey at Thanksgiving.
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped pecans
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
1 tablespoon finely diced
Finish the risotto with the butter and lemon zest and juice. Remove the herbs and adjust the seasoning.
To prepare the shrimp, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Season the shrimp on both sides with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Decrease the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp. Cook the shrimp on each side for 1 minute, to give them nice color, then transfer them to a plate.
For each serving, divide the risotto evenly among four bowls and top each with six shrimp. Spoon the sauce around the risotto and garnish with green onions and fresh thyme leaves.
BLACK TRUFFLE GRITS
S ERVES 6
This dish is really the ultimate in “high-low” cooking. The high-class truffle elevates the lowly grits into a dish reserved for your most special occasions. Black truffle puree is a good chunk of change, so serve this with an inexpensive, yet unctuous braised meat, such as beef short ribs or pig cheeks. If you can’t find cuts such as those, try it with a simple chicken dish.
4 cups whole milk
1 cup quick grits
½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy cream
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (⅞-ounce) tube black truffle puree (see Sources )
2 teaspoons white truffle oil (see Sources )
To prepare the grits, warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges, about 5 minutes. Whisk the grits into the milk and decrease the heat to medium-low. Let the grits cook for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent clumps. Finish the grits by whisking in the butter, heavy cream, salt, pepper, truffle puree, and truffle oil. Cover the pot of grits with a lid and remove from the heat.
Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, covered, for up to 20 minutes.
CORNMEAL POLENTA WITH GOAT CHEESE
S ERVES 4
Polenta is made from cornmeal, but a larger grind than the cornmeal we use for making cornbread. We use the fine cornbread cornmeal instead, resulting in a much quicker cooking time than the hour or so it takes for traditional polenta. Tangy goat cheese makes this side dish scream out for game meat in a dark, fruity sauce.
3 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup fine cornmeal
4 ounces Louisiana goat cheese (or any chèvre will do)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Bring the milk to a boil over high heat in a small saucepan. Add the salt and, using a whisk, whisk in the cornmeal. Decrease the heat to medium-high and cook the polenta until it starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. Decrease the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan. The polenta is ready when the cornmeal is no longer gritty. Add the goat cheese and butter, stirring to incorporate.
Serve immediately or hold in a warm area, covered, until needed.
PECAN RICE
S ERVES 4
This dish is a rice pilaf, where the rice is toasted in oil with onion before liquid is added to finish the cooking. The addition of chopped pecans adds an additional nuttiness to the toasted rice. Pilafs are usually made with a meat-based stock like chicken; if you want a vegetarian version, you can easily substitute vegetable stock or water. We like to serve this with the Coffee Roasted Pork Loin or alongside our turkey at Thanksgiving.
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped pecans
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
1 tablespoon finely diced
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