Champagne Risotto Served In A Parmesan Wheel

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Champagne risotto has a very delicate flavor, a precious addition to a light and refined festive menu. Serve it on a Parmesan wheel to create a unique party centerpiece or prepare it with the Champagne leftover from an open bottle.

Jump to:

• Using Champagne instead of white wine
• Best Champagne to use and other ingredients
• Serving the risotto in a Parmesan Wheel
• What rice to use for risotto
• My prefered brand for Risotto Rice
• Tools to use
• Making the Champagne risotto
• Serving the Champagne risotto
• More recipes with rice
• 📋 Champagne Risotto

Using Champagne instead of white wine

If you are familiar with risotto you know that a traditional Italian risotto is always flavored with wine.

The wine is added over the uncooked rice just after it has been seared in butter and onion (or shallots), and before adding the first ladle of stock.

Either white wine or red wine is used depending on the rest of the ingredients that are added to the risotto.

Instead of wine, you can add Champagne or Prosecco, their flavor is much more delicate and subtle.

You can make it for a special dinner party and it can be served as a Primo piatto or as the side of a main course with mild flavors like seafood or white meat.

This risotto is also a good recipe to use up leftover Champagne. Champagne or Prosecco in open bottles will lose their sparking texture after 2 days.

Best Champagne to use and other ingredients

The best Champagne to use is a Brut Champagne, definitely not a sweet one. You can also use Prosecco, but always make sure it is not sweet.

As the flavor of the Champagne is very delicate, I do not use any other ingredients in the risotto and instead of onion, I stir fry shallots as they have a milder taste.

Homemade stock

For this recipe, I really recommend using homemade chicken stock and you can find the recipe here.

I make it with the pressure cooker and it is done in 30 minutes.

I usually make a large batch and freeze it in small portions of 1 1/2 cups – 300 ml so I can defrost and use it when I need it.

If you want to make a vegetarian version of the Champagne risotto you can use vegetable stock.

Risotto Mantecato

The only other ingredient I use is Parmesan, which I add at the end to “mantecare” the risotto.

“Mantecare” means adding a fat/creamy ingredient at the end of the risotto cooking progress. It is one of the fundamental steps for making the perfect traditional risotto and you can read more about it in the article: “How to make the perfect risotto“.

Serving the risotto in a Parmesan Wheel

As this risotto is very simple and plain, it can be served in a Parmesan wheel to make a unique dinner party centerpiece.

However, there is no small size Parmesan wheels, it is a 42 lb – 19 kg of cheese and their diameter is always 16–18 in – 40–45 cm.

It may not fit into your fridge so you will have to use it within the week, although you can carve out the parmesan and freeze it. Parmesan freezes very well.

You will need a lot of risotto to fully fill a Parmesan wheel. In this recipe, I used 2 lb – 1 kg of rice and as you can see, the wheel is not completely filled.

You can double or even triple the quantity which will serve more than 20 – 30 people. Perfect for a large dinner party or buffet.

Tools to use

If you are making a large quantity of risotto to fill a Parmesan wheel, make sure you use a large pot. I use my dutch oven Le Creuset 7 q – 7 lt pot.

For stirring my risotto, I always make sure I use a wooden spoon with a comfortable handle as I will need to stir continuously for at least 15 minutes.

To keep the stock warm you will also need a Sauce Pan at least 3-Quart and a ladle to pour the stock into the rice.

Making the Champagne risotto

1. Stir fry the shallots with butter at a mild temperature. Make sure the shallots and the butter will not burn
2. In a separate pan keep the stock warm, below boiling point
3. Once the shallots become translucent add the rice
4. Stir until all the rice has been seared with the butter
5. Add the champagne and simmer for 1 minute until the liquid has almost evaporated
6. Start adding the stock one ladle at a time and stir

7. Add more stock only when the rice “ask”, meaning excess liquid has evaporated. Although do not let the rice dry out completely
8. Keep adding a ladle of stock and stirring
9. The cooking time depends on the brand of the rice, check the time suggested on the package. It is usually between 15 to 18 minutes
10. 2 minutes before the cooking time suggested, start tasting the rice to check if it is done.
11. Remove the rice from the heat when it is al dente, soft but still firm
12. Add the Parmesan, stir, and cover to “mantecare” the rice for 2 minutes. The cheese melts and makes the risotto creamier
13. Pour the rice into the Parmesan wheel and serve immediately

Serving the Champagne risotto

Risotto should be served immediately as soon as it is “mantecato”. Pour it inside the Parmesan wheel and serve.

As it has a very delicate flavor, I would recommend serving it with a meal consisted of mild flavor courses like white meat or seafood.

If you are making this risotto for only a few guests, you can serve it in individual Parmesan bowls instead. You can find out how to make them here.

More recipes with rice

If this is your first time making risotto, read the detailed recipe How to make the perfect risotto. I also explain how to make individual Parmesan bowls to serve the risotto.

If you have risotto leftover you can make these recipes:

• Rice Arancini Recipe Gluten Free and Vegetarian
• Rice Balls 
• Vegetarian Rice Timbale

More recipes to make with risotto rice:

• Paella
• Baked rice
• Italian Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

For more recipes, check the category Rice.

If you are making this Champagne risotto served in a Parmesan wheel, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.