A good chef friend once told me to try those items on the menu that might not sound like perfect matches. Sound advice, often those unusual combinations are the efforts of pure genius. Take for instance risotto with crab, pear and dried cranberries, a dish I first had at Char’s in Harrisburg. The sweetness of the pear and cranberries work perfectly with the crab, and Char’s risotto is always creamy and satisfying. This certainly would not have been my go to combinations, but now might be.
For my version, I’ve opted to add a little seasoning to accentuate the pear, Chinese five spice. A flavor profile not exactly of the original dish but one that works equally as well. For my stock in incorporated a bit of ginger and the Chinese five spice. In the risotto I also used a small amount of the ginger, Chinese five spice, shallot and of course garlic, adding the dried cranberries and fresh pear slices about 5 minutes before plating. I always cook my risotto in the traditional method, adding small amounts of warm stock and stirring constantly for about an hour until the starches release for ultimate creaminess. I also added a bit of Parmesan Reggiano, but honestly the risotto had enough flavor and creaminess to stand on it’s own. I folded in the crab at the last minute, topped with a few slices of Parmesan Reggiano and drizzled with pumpkin seed oil. If you want to surprise someone with an amazing comfort type dish, with a few non-traditional ingredients, I highly recommend this dish. Enjoy!
gardenandtable 