Bourbon Mushroom Risotto

This recipe is directly inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks, “The Couple’s Cookbook” by Cole and Kiera Stipovich.

I love this recipe because you can switch out or skip quite a few of the ingredients and get a great flavor. I have done this with just wine, just bourbon, no alcohol and just truffle, and it is all wonderful. Use what you have!

Yields 3-4 servings

Ingredients

For the Risotto

4 cups beef or chicken bone broth

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 yellow onion, chopped

at least 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice

4 tablespoons bourbon

2 tablespoons dry red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

handful of chopped parsley

1/2 cup crème fraîche or heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp truffle oil, more to taste (optional)

Pan-Fried Mushrooms

6 ounces fresh mushrooms (any combination of chanterelle, maitake, oyster, shiitake, cremini, baby bella, or others), chopped

extra-virgin olive oil for frying

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottomed pot oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and risotto, toasting for 2 minutes.

2. Pour in the bourbon and red wine to deglaze. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, while stirring constantly until all of the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Add a pinch of salt.

3. Gradually add the warm broth, one ladle at a time, Letting the rice absorb 90% of each addition before adding more. Repeat until rice is al dente (~20-25 min). You may not need all of the broth, so it is important to taste the rice frequently to determine its doneness.

4. In the meantime, prepare your mushrooms. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden and any liquid has evaporated (3-4 min each side). If you have it, you can pour about a tbsp of balsamic vinegar over your mushrooms to caramelize.

5. Once the rice is cooked to al dente, remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.

6. Fold in your cream. If you are using heavy cream, you may want to keep your pan at very low heat for about 2 minutes to allow the cream to thicken. Finally, stir in your Parmesan and truffle oil.

7. This keeps well, but is best served immediately. It has a ton of flavor on its own, so its a good one to plate solo. I typically do a blackened chicken Caesar salad or medium rare steak on the side / as an additional course.