daily meal

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Swordfish with Béarnaise and Asparagus-Lemon Risotto

I actually missed my very first blogiversary! I cannot believe I missed it! It was August 5th and I had been telling myself all summer long that I was going to try and do something great, and then I missed it! Ugh :( As most of you know I was accepted into a full-time, one year, intensive Masters Degree program in Higher Education.  Now, don't get me wrong, I have always loved school, but this program is rough! It's just nothing but paper after paper, and it is because I was writing a paper that I completely missed the boat on my blogiversary.  Next year I will just have to more than make up for it.

Since I decided to take a little breather from paper writing tonight, I am bringing you all a delicious dinner dish that I love to make! It is one of those more "special" meals that I like to make for my love when he is being good! :)  For anyone who love swordfish or has ever had a "Swordfish Oscar" entree at a restaurant, then this is definitely a meal for you!

Swordfish with Béarnaise served over an Asparagus-Lemon Risotto

Ingredients

Fish:
-1 to 2 pounds swordfish steaks
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Olive oil
Asparagus-Lemon Risotto:
-1 pound Asparagus
-1 lemon zested and juiced
-2 cups chicken broth
-1/2 cup water
-1 medium shallot, chopped
-3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
-1 cup Arborio rice
-1 cup dry white wine
-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
-2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
-Salt and pepper to taste

Béarnaise:
-1 bunch fresh tarragon (or about a teaspoon dry)
-2 shallots, minced
-1/4 cup champagne vinegar
-1/4 cup dry white wine
-4 egg yolks
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, unsalted, melted
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Risotto:
Cut the woody ends of the asparagus off and throw away.  Then, cut the leafy ends off and place into a pot of water.  Boil for one minute, place into an ice water bowl, and set aside.  Then, taking the remaining stems of asparagus, boil them for about 8 minutes.  Remove the stems and 1/2 cup of the water, place in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. 

In a saucepan, pour in the asparagus puree and chicken broth, and simmer over low heat.  Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the chopped shallots.  Sauté for about 3 minutes.  Add the Arborio rice and make sure it is coated with the butter and shallots.  Add the wine and cook over medium-high heat until the wine is completely reduced.  Once the wine has reduced, pour in the chicken broth and asparagus (about a 1/2 cup) and simmer until reduced.  Repeat this process of adding and reducing until the broth has been used up (about a 20 minute process).  Remove the risotto from the heat.  Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter, lemon juice and zest, and Parmesan, and mascarpone cheeses.  Take the leafy asparagus tips from the ice water and mix them into the risotto as well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Swordfish:
Lightly brush the swordfish with oil and season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.  Cook under the broiler for about 8 minutes or on the grill (about 4 minutes on each side). Set aside and let rest for a couple of minutes. 

Béarnaise:
In a saucepan, add the tarragon, shallots, wine, and champagne vinegar. Simmer until the wine and vinegar reduce by at least half. 

In a blender, mix the egg yolks, salt and pepper, and béarnaise reduction together.  Melt the butter in a bowl, and leaving the blender running, slowly pour the melted butter into the egg yolk mixture. Once the mixture emulsifies, blend for another moment and then set aside. 
On a dish, scoop out some risotto first, then place the swordfish on top, and finish off with some extra whole cooked asparagus (optional) and béarnaise. Serve warm and enjoy! 


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23 comments:

  1. Oh, this looks fabulous! I think a dish like this is celebratory enough for your blog's anniversary! I love anything "Oscar" style :)

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  2. I know it's a little cliched but my mouth is watering. I can really almost taste this. A wonderful combination.

    I need a good replacement for visualize when I am talking about taste.

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  3. Happy blogoversary. This looks holycow amazing! I'm allergic to fish, but I would make this with chicken and be SO happy with every bite!

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  4. That looks like an incredibly indulgent and fantastic meal. What a great way to celebrate a belated blogiversary!

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  5. I can totally relate to u...I miss blogging coz of the studies and work :(.
    Your break dish is wonderful. The dish looks very tempting and added to my Must try list :).

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  6. This looks amazing and sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing!

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  7. I have not tried swordfish before but your recipe is oozing with so much taste.

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  8. Oh wow, this looks so delicious. Wonderful flavor combinations!

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  9. Looks delicious, especially on top of that lovely risotto

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  10. I love swordfish! Great recipe and congrats on Top 9 Elyse! Well deserved! :-)

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  11. Great instructions on the bearnaise sauce! I had sauce class in culinary school last week and boy let me tell ya, those can be tricky!

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  12. Happy belated blogiversary!!
    Your dish looks ah-mazing! I am especially lovin' all that goodness on top... bernaise is a fave of mine. :)

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  13. Happy blogiversary! This dish looks and sounds sooo amazing!!

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  14. Thank you guys for the kind comments!

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  15. I had no idea you were working on your Masters! You go! I thought about it once...for about 30 seconds. But I write for a living so the last thing I wanna do is homework. Bleh. I hope everything is going well :)

    This is an awesome dish. My husband is a swordfish nut so I'll definitely bookmark this for him!

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  16. Mmm mmmmmmm this looks absolutely divine. Adore swordfish & love risotto, great flavours - definitely an indulgent 'we must enjoy this conspiracy of delights soon' :) Thank you

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  17. Happy Blogiversary! And my oh my does that fish look amazing. Swordfish is one of my favorite fresh fish to work with because I feel like it can stand up to bold flavors. Thanks for sharing :)

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  18. I cannot get champagne vinegar here where I live, is there a substitute I can use please?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Rona - Try white wine vinegar. You could even use apple cider vinegar, but just note that the cider vinegar is going to be more tart/less sweet than the champagne vinegar, so you could use slightly less.

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