Creamy Leek, Apple, and Brie Risotto with Thyme and Walnuts
A creamy brie risotto with caramelized apples and leeks. Garnished with fresh apples, toasted walnuts and fresh thyme.
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1890 ml
- 2 cups diced leeks 2 leeks, white and light green parts only (180 grams)
- 2 cups apples cored, peeled and small dice (about 2 large apples - Honeycrisp or pink lady are great here) (236 grams)
- 2 tablespoons butter 28 grams
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves removed from stems
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 100 ml dry white wine or Calvados brandy between ⅓ and ½ cup
- 2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice 400 grams
- 4 ounces brie cheese rind removed, cut into small pieces (114 grams)
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese freshly grated (57 grams)
Garnish
- 1 cup or so diced apple cored, no need to peel
- ⅔ cup toasted walnuts
- ¼ cup parmesan grated
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- brie cut into small squares
Instructions
- Pour the broth into a 4qt sauce pan on a burner next to the one you will be cooking the risotto on. Heat until steaming but not simmering, keep on low heat.
- Wash leeks well to get rid of any sand or grit. Quarter lengthwise then finely slice. Core the apples then peel and dice into small pieces - less than half an inch ( less than a centimeter).
- Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy bottomed pan ( enamel cast iron are great for risotto) and add the leeks and apples. Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the leeks are caramelized and the apples are very soft.
- Add in the thyme, garlic and lemon juice, salt, pepper and nutmeg and sauté for one minute. Next, add in the rice and wine ( or brandy if using) and stir, cook until the wine has been absorbed.
- Add in two cups of the warm broth and stir. Let the rice cook for a few minutes to start absorbing the liquid before stirring again, stir until it is almost absorbed then ladle in half a cup of broth and repeat the process. It takes about 5 minutes per ladling of broth, stirring, letting it absorb some then stirring some more before adding more broth. When around 6 cups of the broth has been added in, taste the rice and see how the consistency is to your liking. It should be cooked but still have “bite” to it. Al dente like pasta. You can add all the liquid if you like a thinner consistency to your risotto or add only around 6 cups if you like it thicker.
- Once the rice consistency is to your liking, taste and add more salt, pepper or nutmeg if you like. Remove from the heat and add in the brie and parmesan. Stir until the cheese has melted in, you might still have small pieces of brie, that is ok. Keep warm until ready to serve. Risotto is best served immediately after cooking.
- Spoon the risotto into bowls and garnish with fresh, diced apple, a sprinkling of parmesan, some chopped, toasted walnuts and some more fresh thyme. You can serve it with a square of brie cheese on the top as well if you like.
Notes
The leeks and apple measurements don’t have to be exact 2 cups, if you use larger leeks it can be a little over 2 cups since it will reduce greatly when caramelizing.
The apple for garnish doesn’t need to be peeled. If it is easier to core, peel and dice all of the apples at once, cut 3 cups and set one cup aside. For the cup of apples for garnish, add in some lemon juice to keep from browning.
Calvados is a brandy made from apples and is excellent in place of the wine. I have used both and it comes out great both ways.