risotto #9 - sweet corn with black trumpets and a drizzle of white truffle oil

came home tonight and remembered the boatload of mushrooms i have hiding in the bottom drawer, so i pulled a risotto off of my “to-do” list and poured it all into the rice cooker.

yes, again. the risotto police might as well keep me in perpetual lockup.

this time, i took my inspiration from the bag full of black trumpet mushrooms i scored at the last farmers’ market and used an emeril recipe for sweet corn risotto with black trumpets and white truffle oil.

surprisingly, i really liked the addition of the corn. i used frozen white corn kernels, and they were very sweet and had a nice crunch. but i was disappointed by the risotto as a whole. it didn’t taste like much. i expected a lot more from a mushroom like a black trumpet--the last time i cooked with a black trumpet, it was a stir-fry, and the flavor was so strong i could barely eat it. this time, all i could taste was the corn and the sprinkle of white pepper i threw on. i couldn’t even taste the truffle oil, much less the rice or the trumpets. i’m curious if this is because i used vegetable stock, which in my experience doesn’t add the kind of flavor that a chicken stock would impart. but the recipe called for veggie stock, and since i had some on hand, i poured it right in.

i'm not sure how i'd do this differently, because i didn't really enjoy it enough to care.

Sweet Corn, Black Trumpet and Truffle Risotto
(from emeril lagasse via the food network website)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 ears of sweet corn, scrapped from the cob
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
12 turns fresh ground black pepper
1 lb. risotto
6 cups vegetable stock
1 lb. black trumpet mushrooms
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Drizzle of white truffle oil
1 black truffle

Over medium heat, in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Heat the oil for 1 minute. Add the onions, corn, salt, white pepper, and black pepper. Saute for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the risotto. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir the stock into the risotto. Bring the liquid up to a simmer, about 6 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic. Simmer the risotto for 18 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining butter, cream, grated cheese and truffle oil. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with shaved truffles.