Summer Risotto & Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Buerre Blanc

Courtesy of Cooking Light

This started out as two separate dinners, but then I decided to combine them into one. The flavors just seemed to go together. I will say it turned out really well, but it was definitely somewhat time consuming and took some serious coordination in the kitchen -- especially when you're tired! However, it was worth it :) As usual, these were great for leftovers. The fun thing about the risotto is that you can sub in or out whichever veggies you want, so get creative! I also got to use my new herb garden -- this is very exciting!

Seared Scallops with Meyer Lemon Buerre Blanc

• 2/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 pounds dry sea scallops
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to about 1/4 cup (about 8 minutes). Remove from heat; discard thyme sprigs. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, stirring constantly with a whisk until butter is thoroughly incorporated. Strain mixture through a fine sieve over a bowl, pressing to release all of the sauce; discard solids. Stir in sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of scallops evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add scallops to pan; cook 2 minutes. Turn scallops over; cook 1 minute or until desired degree of doneness. Serve scallops with sauce; sprinkle with chopped thyme, if desired.

Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

• 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half (I left these out because I didn't have any)
• 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 1 (8-ounce) yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 4 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add asparagus and peas; cook for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add zucchini and squash to pan; cook for 7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook until liquid is absorbed (about 30 seconds), stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reserve 1/4 cup broth. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 22 minutes total). Stir in vegetables; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in reserved 1/4 cup broth and remaining ingredients.

Final Product: Serve risotto, topped with scallops and drizzled with the lemon buerre blanc.