Croissant French Toast and Scallop Risotto

Dan picked up ingredients for croissant french toast, so I got the chance to learn how to make it via experimentation. I figured cutting the croissants in half, so they were thinner, would be advisable, so I started with that, and soaked them in a mixture of milk, egg, and orange juice before frying them up in the skillet in butter. Then I cut up a couple bananas, and cooked them in some butter and brown sugar into golden, putting them on top of the french toast. Then I melted a bit of Nutella (hazelnut & chocolate spread), and drizzled it over the tops. They were tasty, though I got a bit too much chocolate on mine.



And what's Easter brunch without some mimosas? So we made a pitcher of mimosas, which we sipped on a bit during the day.



For dinner tonight we tried another new recipe: Scallop Risotto. I was concerned because scallops cook so quickly and can get rubbery if you over cook them, but this recipe was spot on regarding timing, and they were perfectly cooked when we sat down to eat. The risotto wasn't as creamy as I expected, though still very good.



Scallop Risotto
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion—finely chopped
2 cloves garlic—finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
6 sun-dried tomatoes—cut into small pieces
½ cup white wine
2 cups fish, chicken or vegetable stock
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 uncooked scallops
1 cup tightly-packed arugula leaves
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, rice, sun-dried tomatoes and lemon zest and cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the rice with oil. Add the wine, stock, salt and pepper, bring to the boil then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for 16 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove the lid and quickly add the scallops and arugula before replacing the lid and cooking for a further 5 minutes. Stir the lemon juice, cheese and reserved tablespoon of olive oil through the rice. Serve immediately.



(Risotto recipe courtesy of Sara's Kitchen.)