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Sweet corn and Basil Risotto

This is the best celebration of summer in a bowl. It is creamy yet light. The little specks of sweet corn combine with the fresh flavors of the basil in the most perfect ways. You will want it every week until the summer corn is gone for the season. It is also amazing turned into the best arancini you have ever tasted.
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Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or small white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/3 cups arborio rice or carnaroli rice
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 3-4 cups vegetable stock or water hot
  • 5 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided plus more for garnish
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 4 cups fresh sweet summer corn cut off the cob(about 5 ears) or you can use frozen
  • 1/2 cup basil chiffonade plus more for garnish
  • 2 tbsp mascarpone cheese

Method
 

  1. Heat a medium sauce pan with the stock and let it come up to the boil and then turn down to as low as it will go. Make sure it is not boiling and se tit on the back burner.
  2. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter and the oil together in the pot. Swirl to melt, just until the butter is melted and begins to sizzle.
  3. Add in the chopped shallots and sweat for about 1-2 min just until slightly softened and becoming translucent. Add in the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
  4. 4.Stir in the rice and lightly toast for about 4-5 minutes or until the rice begins to get a little browned on the edges. Just watch so that you do not burn it.
  5. Once you have the rice toasted, you will add in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Stir until the rice begins to start to leach some of it's starch and the wine starts to "dry up". At this point you will begin to ladle in the hot liquid a little at a time. This is when you begin stirring and cooking the rice slowly and controlled.
  6. You will add in the hot stock/water a couple of ladles at a time and stir until the stock has been cooked until you need more. As the rice starts to look like you need to add liquid, you will add it in little by little and continue this process until your rice is cooked just over al dente and/or you have used all of your stop. This whole process will take about 20-30 minutes. You will want to keep the heat on medium to medium-low the whole time.
  7. Once your risotto is cooked and creamy you will check it for seasoning by tasting it and add kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper if needed. Then finish it with the mascarpone and the Parmesan cheese. Check one last time for seasoning and stir in the basil at the very end.
  8. Serve it up by garnishing it with some extra grated Parmesan and fresh basil. ENJOY!