Original recipes from the Walnut Grove, cooking vacations

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"Thank you for not being stuffy and serious, as in my opinion, cooking should be fun above all else. Your course really was the best fun a girl could have with her clothes on! I really feel that my cooking has gone up a notch and look forward to doing the advanced course which you kindly assured me I was capable of."

Georgina Jay
April 2007

Walnut Grove Recipes Wild Mushroom Risotto
	Ingredients Serves 2 1 onion - finely diced 2 cloves garlic - crushed 2 tbsp parmesan cheese - grated 200g Arborio rice 150g mixed wild mushrooms 50g mascarpone cheese 700ml chicken stock 1 tbsp butter salt & pepper to taste 1 tsp olive oil
Method 1. Heat butter & olive oil in a medium saucepan and gently sauté the onion & garlic until translucent but not colored. 2. Add the Arborio risotto rice and stir until the rice is coated with the oil & butter. Carefully add the chicken stock using a ladle and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
3. As the rice absorbs the stock, keep adding more stock until the rice is just cooked and the risotto is the consistency you want (nice & moist - when you put it on your plate it spreads out). 4 . Meanwhile clean wild mushrooms (avoid using water, just lightly brush to remove any dirt) and sauté in a frying pan with a little butter until just cooked. 5 . Add the cooked wild mushrooms, parmesan cheese and mascarpone and gently stir into the risotto. 6. Serve in a bowl garnished with parmesan shavings and a light drizzle of olive oil.

Serving Suggestions

This is a nice starter but quite rich so keep the portion small. It is also nice served as a main course, perhaps accompanied by a green salad to cut through the richness.

Advanced preparation

All risotto's are best made just before they are served.

Walnut Grove cookery courses - a dream vacation - in wonderful surroundings

Experience the reality of gourmet cooking yourself. There is only one way to learn and that is to do it! Top chefs, luxury accommodation, set in France - the home of gourmet cuisine; what more could you ask for?

Your hosts and tutors are acclaimed chefs Maynard Harvey and Benedict Haines, two modern chefs who use the freshest ingredients with an emphasis on distinct flavours and clean, meticulous presentation. Their passion and enthusiasm for cooking will stimulate your own love of food, and their expertise will help you gain confidence and perfect your technique in the kitchen.

To find out more about our holidays, courses, accommodation and location deep in the heart of the 'real' French countryside, please look around our site. For further information, contact us.

Walnut Grove Recipes

Wild Mushroom Risotto