Why You Must Try Sweet Corn Risotto (Maybe Truffled)
I had one of the most memorable dishes I ever ate at my own wedding rehearsal dinner. Weddings (and rehearsal dinners) are not usually memorable for the food, but we were really fortunate to have amazingly good food at both (see more about my wedding food here). Even among some other delicious food, though, this dish stood out. Truffled sweet corn risotto. I still remember just how it tasted.
We had our rehearsal dinner at a local restaurant, Alana’s, and oh boy they fed us well. I don’t usually get risotto when out at a restaurant; I find that even good restaurants let it get gloppy and soft on the stove. But Alana makes impeccable, memorable risotto, always al dente yet creamy. That night she served us a sweet corn risotto, the kernels of corn almost indistinguishable from the grains of rice, but popping with firm sweetness in the mouth. The dish was dressed with truffle butter or salt, that unmistakable aroma gracing each bite.
I’ve craved it ever since, and when I bought my husband a whole summer truffle and some truffle butter for his birthday last week, I set about recreating it. (More on truffles soon! It was a little luxury, but so much easier and cheaper to obtain than I expected. Definitely much less expensive than a nice dinner out, that’s for sure.)
I looked around for a recipe and decided to try one from the inestimable and always reliable Melissa Clark. It was very simple: Chicken stock, rice, a little bit of butter and Parmesan to finish. I substituted truffle butter for the finishing butter, and shaved some raw truffle over top.
Well. Let me tell you. Truffle or no, sweet corn risotto must be on your agenda this summer. It’s simple, creamy, and bursting with that sweetness of great summer corn. (We’re just getting early sweet corn here; you may need to wait a month or so before seeing it in your market, depending on your location.)
And it’s just made a wee bit better by the truffle taste. You could finish this with truffle salt for a simpler (and cheaper) way to get the truffle taste. A drizzle of synthetic truffle oil wouldn’t go amiss either.
Get the recipe:
Fresh Corn Risotto from Melissa Clark at Food & Wine
Have you ever made sweet corn risotto?
Related: How to Make Great Risotto at Home
(Images: Faith Durand)