Thursday, August 15, 2013

Rosie Makes Youngest Hawthorne's Birthday Dinner.

Last Wednesday was Youngest Hawthorne's birthday
and every year he requests this meal -
seared scallops with basil pesto and caramelized onions
on a Parmesan crisp
atop a bed of risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.
And every year, I comply.
It's one of my favorite meals.

First, I'm making the Parmesan crisps.
I grated a heapin' pile of Parmesan.

Press a layer of the grated Parmesan into a round.


I always use parchment paper.
Makes it easier to remove from the pan,
plus no clean-up.

Bake in a 425° oven until lightly browned.
Let cool a few minutes,
then remove from pan.

Set on paper towels.

Next, I prepped for the risotto.

Pour boiling water over the dried tomatoes and ...


...  cover with a plate.
Let soften at least 20 minutes.


I chopped up two handfuls of fresh spinach,
1/2 onion, and the softened sun-dried tomatoes.

While the sun-dried tomatoes were soaking,
 I started on the caramelized onions.
I sliced up the other half of the onion
and poured it into butter over medium heat.

I add about 1/2 tsp sugar
to help caramelize.

Keep cooking, stirring occasionally,
until lightly browned.

Add in a splash of wine.


Let simmer a bit.
This is the color you want.
Set aside and keep warm.

Now, back to the risotto.
I sautéed the chopped onions in butter
for a minute or two,
then added in 1 1/2 cups arborio rice.

I added in a bit more butter.
Cook for a few minutes.


I heated up three cans of chicken broth.
Pour in about 1/4 cup at a time,
stirring, and let the rice absorb the broth,
then add in another 1/4 cup.
Keep adding and cooking,
letting the rice absorb the liquid,
 until the rice is done.
Takes about  30-40 minutes.

When the rice was cooked,
I seasoned with Kosher salt
and added some heavy cream - about 1/3 - 1/2 cup.

Add in the chopped spinach
and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan and ...
... the sun dried tomatoes.
Cook for a minute, stirring.
Set aside, cover, and keep warm.

Now, for the scallops:
I rinsed my scallops off,
then dried on paper towels.
Season with freshly ground pepper.
Scallops need no salt.


I heated up my skillet
and added a tablespoon each butter and oil.
Heat to 350°.
Add in the scallops and cook for about a minute.
Turn on the other side and cook about a minute.

I like to add a splash of chardonnay to deglaze the pan.
Do NOT overcook scallops.


Bed of creamy spinach and sun dried tomato risotto
with a Parmesan crisp,
caramelized onions, 
seared scallops,
and basil pesto.

I always have basil pesto in my freezer
thanks to my annual Hurricane Harvest.

This makes my mouth happy!

Happy Birthday, Youngest Hawthorne!

2 comments:

Tammy said...

Happy Birthday to the youngest Hawthorne! What a stunning meal you served up, Rosie.

Scallops are delicious...but served with risotto, pesto and a parm crisp? Food heaven.

xo my dear,
Tammy<3

Rosie Hawthorne said...

Thanks, Tammy! This is one of our favorite meals.