Over the past several years Chef Karen Akunowicz has impressed food television fans with her impressive run on Top Chef, Tournament of Champions, and other culinary competitions. While that screen time brought her cooking style to millions of viewers, Bostonians happily line-up to enjoy a meal at her award winning restaurants. Now, the James Beard Award winning chef is sharing one of her secret ingredients to making a delicious risotto, as well as a multitude of other recipes.
Certain dishes or recipes are classics, but not often attempted at home. Risotto is one. While Top Chef fans can laugh about that particular dish being cursed in the competition, chefs long to show their risotto mastery.
For the home cook, the dish can create more questions than answers. The line between a luscious bite and mush can be crossed in just a few minutes on the stove. Solving the mystery to this recipe can be as simple as Karen Akunowicz’s secret ingredient.
During a recent conversation with Chef Karen, through her collaboration with Hood Cream, she discussed how cream is a secret ingredient to many of her recipes. Even though some home cooks might only associate cream with sweet dishes, the impact that cream has in savory food is quite compelling.
Since some home cooks could feel trepidatious about cooking with cream, Chef Karen shared this insight. “Some people think that cream is relegated to dessert or putting it in your coffee. Or, they worry that it will be very heavy or that it will break or curdle. For me, as a New England girl, cooking with Hood Cream is the gold standard.”
“Cream is such an easy way to lift a dish, to make it restaurant quality. It feels luxurious or special. A touch of cream can go a long way in the same way that you would use butter or cheese.”
“People are not afraid to use butter or cook with cheese. Cream does a similar thing and has a more luxurious mouth feel. When we speak about mounting butter in traditional French cooking, finishing a dish like risotto with a little cream at the end makes for a beautiful mouth feel. It is a little lighter and absolutely delicious.”
Chef Karen mentioned that her mushroom risotto recipe was the first dish that came to mind when she partnered with Hood Cream. By sharing this recipe, she wanted to demystify the dish for home cooks.
She said, “I want (home cooks) to have them understands that the ingredients are really simple. You want the risotto to shine. A little bit of mushrooms and finishing it with the luscious Hood Cream is all that it takes.”
At the same time, making a risotto is about being willing to take the time. As anyone who has attempted this recipe understands, it cannot be rushed. Chef Karen stated, “it is about having the time and the patience. We have to slow down a little bit. Especially during those busy times, we all could benefit from a little slowing down, just standing and stirring.”
Personally, in my kitchen, the standing and stirring is better enjoyed with a glass of wine and conversation. Chef Karen encourages any and every cook to embrace those moments of conversation and togetherness in the kitchen.
She said, “food always brings people together. It is the greatest bridge, the greatest connector. That time in the kitchen is when no one has a screen in front of them. Food invites conversation. Whether it is the person who was the born to cook or the person born to talk to the person cooking, we are making a dish together.”
That sentiment is what makes food nourish people beyond the bites consumed. It feeds everyone in the moment and offers flavorful memories that satisfy long after the table is cleared. The best meals are the ones that truly last forever.
It is time to master a delicious risotto with Chef Karen Akunowicz’s secret ingredient. One part Hood Cream and one part spirited conversation. It is the perfect recipe that anyone can master.