Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with Cranberry Brown Butter Sauce

It’s time to celebrate the cranberry!   Not only for Thanksgiving, fresh cranberries are typically available now, from September through December.

This restaurant recipe is from Executive Chef Tom Berry of Nantucket’s Great Harbor Yacht Club, and is a roasted pumpkin risotto with Parmesan and a cranberry brown butter sauce,  a dish that can be served for the holiday or used with leftovers.

Read on for the recipe

Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with Cranberry Brown Butter Sauce
Chef Tom Berry
Recipe used with permission, via Ocean Spray Cranberries.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups aborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 3-pound sugar pumpkin
1/4 cup light olive oil
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock

DIRECTIONS:

Roasted Pumpkin Risotto:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pumpkin in half; scrape out the seeds and membrane. Place pumpkin halves cut side down on a cookie sheet and lightly rub the skin with half of the olive oil to prevent it from cracking. Roast pumpkin halves until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Cool and scoop out pumpkin meat into a medium mixing bowl.

In a large saucepan, heat the chicken stock until hot; set aside. Coat the bottom of a second large saucepan with remaining olive oil, and sweat the onion and garlic over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add wine and simmer, stirring often, until liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add half of the hot chicken stock and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add remaining chicken stock and reserved pumpkin meat. Continue to cook and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice grains are tender but not broken, about 10 minutes. Fold in Parmesan cheese, butter and parsley, season with salt and pepper. Serve the risotto in bowls with the cranberry brown butter sauce drizzled around. Serves 4.

Recipe Variation: This recipe works great with leftover turkey! Just fold in 2 cups of picked turkey meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Add ¾ cup of Craisens Dried Cranberries–pumpkin and cranberries are a great flavor combination.

Cranberry Brown Butter Sauce:

1/3 cup Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 cup Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
Salt and pepper

Add cranberry juice cocktail, cranberries, mustard, shallot and sugar to a blender and puree until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and cook until it is light brown and has a nutty aroma. (Be careful not to burn.)

With the blender running on medium speed, slowly add the brown butter until well incorporated. Serve immediately with risotto or keep at room temperature until needed. The sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, but will become very firm and needs to be slowly reheated for use.

Yield: approximately 2 cups