Meyer Lemon Risotto w/Roasted Shrimp & Seared Sea Scallops

Another cold night calls for a cozy dish of risotto. Since the calendar says spring, I lightened this up with Meyer lemon and added some scrumptious shrimp and scallops and paired with a 201l Cakebread Chardonnay.  Each sip was filled with luscious apple, melon, citrus fruit and a touch of minerality. The bright acidity washed away the creamy finish of the risotto, leaving your palate ready for another bite! This is such an easy all season dish.  I hope you try it soon. Bon Appetit!


Meyer Lemon Risotto w/Roasted Shrimp & Seared Sea Scallops (Serves 4)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, fine dice

1 cup Arborio rice

2 ½ - 3 cups homemade shrimp & lobster stock  (see recipe) or low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock can be used as a substitute

¾ cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio/Sauvignon Blanc

2 Meyer lemons (zest & juice)

1 cup shredded Parmigianno Reggiano cheese

1 tablespoon butter

½ cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon pepper

Salt to taste (keep in mind there is salt in the stock & cheese)

Risotto

In a small saucepan warm 3 cups of stock (simmer on low)

In a large saucepan sauté onion in olive oil for 5-7 minutes over medium-low heat until translucentAdd Arborio rice and mix with onions until rice is well coated and slightly toasted 2-3 minutes

Add white wine and let evaporate

Once white wine evaporate slowly add the stock ½ cup at a time stirring frequently

Continue adding the stock ½ cup at a time until risotto reaches desired consistency, above 25-30 minutes for al dente

At this point add cheese and butter, mix well

Fold in chopped parsley, lemon zest & juice

Divide between four plates and top with 2 scallops & 3 shrimp 

Garnish w/parsley & lemon wheel

Roasted Shrimp

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Shell & devain 1 dozen large shrimp (leave the tails on for presentation)

Toss with olive oil, a pinch of salt & pepper

Roast for 6-8 minutes

Seared Sea Scallops

Pre-heat sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Pat dry 8 medium-large sea scallops

Brush w/olive oil and a pinch of salt & pepper

Sear for 3 minutes per side until nicely golden on each side

Shrimp & Lobster Stock

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, lobster and shrimp shells to a large stock pot over medium heat

Saute shells for 3-5 minutes until they become bright pink and aromatic

Add 1  medium yellow onion, 3 celery stalks, 1 carrot (all large dice), 4 cloves of smashed garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of Old Bay, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, handful of peppercorns and cover with 2 quarts of water

Let simmer over low heat for 45 minutes

Strain with fine mesh strainer into smaller sauce pan

Freeze the rest of the stock for up to 3 months

Madeira Madness

1962 Madeira in vintage port glass

While many sports fans have their hands wrapped around a cold beer and a remote cheering on their favorite college basketball team, I am opting for a more laid back evening with a very special glass of wine.

Nothing says comfort on a cold night than curling up by the fire with special someone and a great glass of Madeira.

Madeira is a fortified wine made on the island of Madeira, an archipelago of Portugal. Madeira has an incredibly long shelf life and is known to be the longest living wine in the world.

Madeira dates back to the Age of Exploration and was a favorite of several U.S. Presidents including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In fact, it was the wine served to toast the Declaration of Independence!

I bought my husband a1962 Barbeito Malvasia Madeira for his birthday last year and although it was a splurge, it certainly did not disappoint.  It’s like drinking sweet nectar from the Gods.  

We opened the bottle on Thanksgiving and we are going to toast the end of winter with the rest of the bottle. 

The color is a beautiful golden brown and the liquid gold just clings to the side of the glass, slowly coating its vessel.  On the nose, there are lovely notes of ginger snaps, baking spices, caramel, coffee and toasted walnuts.  The wine is rich and expressive with nice acidity. Drink on its own or pair with a cheese plate of Roquefort, honey, dates and walnuts. This also goes great with nutty desserts like pecan pie and pumpkin spice cheesecake. 

If you have never had a Madeira and don't want to splurge on a bottle, many fine dining restaurants offer Madeira by the glass!

To learn more about Madeira, visit http://www.madeirawine.com/. 

Do Wine Scores Really Matter?

Selecting that perfect bottle of wine can be a downright painstaking experience if you don't know what you are looking for.

You walk into the wine store and your head begins to spin when you see hundreds if not thousands of shiny glass cylinders in different colors, a myriad of varietals and enough animal labels to make you feel like you are at the county zoo.  Then you stumble across the "coveted" wine score in bold font tempting you to select the wine with the highest point value.

As you stand in the middle of the aisle with a glazed look on your face and begin scratching your head, the young salesperson walks over to you, points at the shelf and says "you must try that bottle, it's nearly perfect with a 96 point score."

But, what do those numbers really mean?  Is a 90+ pointer always a good bottle? And why don't you see 88-89 point wines promoted like they used to.  89 used to be equivalent to a B+ when I was in school,

Today, the Wall Street Journal featured a  great piece by Lettie Teague, Wine Scores: Remaking the Grade,  that discusses the inflation of wine scores and why so many great bottles that score in the high 80's may never make it to your local store shelf. Simply put, high scores mean big business!