Christmas Eve Dinner

We had a wonderful evening sitting near the fire just the two of us sipping Champagne and eating shrimp cocktail before our delicious dinner.

One the menu this chilly evening:

Simple Greens with vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan

Mushroom Risotto

Scallops for me

Fillet for Dave

Sliced Pears for dessert

Lemon Mushroom Risotto

1 C arborio rice

6-8 C chicken broth

1 shallot, finely diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T butter

1 t evoo

6-8 mushrooms diced

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan

lemon zest

salt and fresh cracked pepper

Heat broth in a pot until warm and cover. In another heavy bottomed saucepan melt the butter and evoo, saute the shallot, garlic and mushrooms until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minute. Add enough broth to cover the rice and cook stirring frequently until most of the liquid in absorbed. Once absorbed add another ladle full of broth and continue stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue process until the rice is tender but firm to the bite about 35-45 minutes. At this point the risotto should be creamy and delicious looking! Remove from heat and add the zest of one lemon, salt and fresh cracked pepper and grated Parmesan.

For the Steak:

Allow the filet to come to room tempurature. Salt and pepper each side. Dave broiled his steak because it was way too cold to venture outside to the grill. He broiled it for 8 minutes for a perfect medium rare steak.

For the Scallops:

Remove the tough muscle from each scallop. Wash and pat dry. Lightly salt and pepper each scallop. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T of butter and a touch of evoo. Gently place the scallops in the pan and cook with out touching for 2 on each side, until they carmelize and have a nice brown crust.