Creamy, lemony, and delicious, either as an entrée or a side dish. For a fun, elegant touch, serve individual side-dish portions in a hollowed-out lemon cup (see Note). It would make a pretty, festive accompaniment to almost any springtime meal.

　　

Ingredients

4 entrée servings or 8 side-dish or appetizer servings

　　4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

　　1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)

　　3 tablespoons unsalted butter

　　2 large shallots, diced

　　1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

　　1/2 cup dry white wine

　　1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons

　　1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

　　Zest of 1/2 lemon

　　3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

　　3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

　　

Step 1

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth and 1/4 cup of lemon juice to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

　　

Step 2

In a medium, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and remaining 1/4 cup of lemon juice and simmer until it has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and the mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, and the salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, garnish with the parsley, and serve.

　　

notes

Step 3

To serve the risotto in a lemon cup, cut 1/4 inch off the bottom of 6 lemons so they stand upright. Slice 1 inch off the stem end. Using a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the flesh of the lemon and discard. Fill each lemon with about 1/2 cup of risotto. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.