If you like creamy rice dishes, you are going to love this gorgonzola and pear risotto with shrimp. This sweet and savory take on the classic Italian dish is the perfect fall meal. And of course, it’s naturally gluten-free!
I love the combination of pears and cheese. The perfect balance of sweet and savory is classic and delicious. Since I’ve added pears and cheese to salad and pizza, it only seemed fair to add it to a rice dish as well. A creamy gorgonzola risotto with some shrimp just sounded too amazing to pass up.
Risotto is one of my favorites, and I love that I can make it at home. Making a traditional risotto with lots of stirring can be tricky, but it is absolutely worth it. Tender but al dente rice, a creamy base with pear, gorgonzola and parmesan, shrimp, all topped with some caramelized pears. It’s a perfect gluten-free date night dish.
How to make a creamy risotto
If you are making risotto for the first time it can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be. Or maybe you’ve tried making risotto before and it didn’t come out right. But there is a way to make a tasty restaurant quality risotto at home.
One of the most important parts of risotto is the arborio rice. It may seem silly to buy a specific variety of rice to make it, but it really does make a difference. After all, you wouldn’t try to make sushi with Indian basmati, would you?
The next thing to watch out for is stirring. Risotto does seem like a labor-intensive dish with so much stirring, but it really isn’t that long (less than 30 minutes cooking) and it makes such a difference. Stirring releases the starches in the short grain rice, making the grains hold together a bit better. But you don’t want to stir fast or vigorously as that will make it gluey. Instead a slow steady motion that blends in the added wine and broth will give you the best texture.
And finally, don’t add the liquid all at once. By adding the liquid a bit at a time, you are allowing it to blend with the starches your stirring released from the rice, creating that creamy texture a good risotto is known for. Plus, adding the broth in batches prevents the rice from absorbing too much and losing all of its texture.
Multitasking in the kitchen
As you read this recipe, one of the things you will notice is that you have to cook the shrimp while you are stirring the pear risotto regularly. I know some people find this overwhelming, but you can do it. One of the tricks to making delicious meals for your family quickly is being able to multitask.
My best advice for anyone who thinks they can’t manage multiple pans on the stove is to keep it low. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat to make your food cook faster. For one thing that will make the risotto burn. Just keep the temperature low and steady so that you can move between pans without anything burning on the bottom.
Keeping calm and cooking everything low and slow is the best way to get a restaurant-worthy risotto with the unique fall flavors of pear and gorgonzola for an absolutely delicious meal that everyone will love.
Gorgonzola and Pear Risotto with Shrimp
Ingredients
For the risotto:
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 pears , peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces
- 10 oz. (285g) arborio rice (or any other risotto such as carnaroli etc.)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 1 lb. (450g) unpeeled shrimp , peeled and deveined (approximately 2/3 lb / 300g peeled shrimp)
- olive oil , for brushing shrimp
- 4 cups vegetable broth , or more as needed
- 6 oz. (170g) gorgonzola cheese , crumbled
- 2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish
For the caramelized pear (optional):
- 1 pear
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 1 tbsp honey
Instructions
For the risotto:
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and cook until golden.
- Add the garlic, pear pieces, and rice and cook 2-3 minutes, until the rice is translucent. Stir in the honey.
- Pour in the wine and increase the heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, letting the alcohol evaporate.
- Pour in 1 cup of broth and reduce the heat. Don’t stir the rice first 3-4 minutes so it wouldn’t get too mushy. Then, keep adding the broth, a cup at a time, stirring. Only add the next portion of broth when the previous is absorbed by rice. Cook until the rice is al dente, according to your package instructions.
- Meanwhile, brush the shrimp with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer in a frying pan and cook 2-3 minutes until they start turning opaque. Flip and cook 1-2 minutes more, until pink and cooked through.
- About 3-4 minutes before the risotto is ready, stir in the shrimp, gorgonzola, and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve garnished Parmesan cheese and caramelized pear slices on top, if desired.
For the caramelized pear (optional):
- Quarter and core the pear, then slice thinly lengthwise. Combine the melted butter with honey and brush the pear slices on both sides. Heat a grill pan and cook the pear on both sides until grill marks appear and the slices are golden and caramelized. The cooking time depends on the thickness of your slices, for me 1-2 minutes per side was enough.
5 Comments
Beth Sachs
October 19, 2020 at 7:21 amNow this is my kind of risotto. Love gorgonzola and pear combo. Thanks for sharing!
Anjali
October 19, 2020 at 8:18 amI love risotto but I’ve never felt confident enough to make it at home! Your recipe has inspired me to give it a try though, because the combo of gorgonzola + pear is one of my favorites!
Kate
October 19, 2020 at 9:04 amWow, I would never have thought of putting pear in a risotto but yours looks fantastic – definitely giving this a try, thanks!
Helen
October 19, 2020 at 9:24 amThis looks fabulous – blue cheese and pear is such a lovely combination, and perfect flavours for this time of year. I don’t eat seafood but I think this will still be great without the shrimp! Thanks for the recipe.
Eva
October 19, 2020 at 9:56 amI am a sucker for the pear and gorgonzola combo (I am also *guilty* of using this combination in my salads and pizzas. Love love loooove pear & gorgonzola pizza!) as well as shrimp, but I swear that I had never thought about mixing all of that together! And I make risotto pretty often. If you ever have the chance, you should try Vialone Nano rice – it’s another type of risotto rice, like Arborio or Carnaroli, from Piedmont. I really like it because it’s pretty small when dry, but it grows so much when cooked, making for a very pleasant texture of the final dish.