Spiced Chocolate Risotto

When Fudge Ripple's recipe for "Chocolate Malted Risotto" popped up on my blog reading list this morning, I was instantly roped in.  Risotto is a household staple, but it's always savory, usually with mushroom and kale, sometimes with sausage. 

I have never made - or even envisioned - a sweet risotto!  But, as always, not having some of Christy's ingredients, I used her recipe as an inspiration and used my own cooking experience for this culinary adventure.

I began by toasting the arborio rice* with a pat of butter in one pan and simmering milk - generously spiced with ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon, and ground cardamom and lightly sweetened with raw sugar - in another pan. 

Ladle by ladle, I spooned the hot milk into the risotto pan, stirring until the milk was absorbed.  While the rice was still firm, I added of unsweetened cocoa to the pan and continued adding milk and stirring till absorbed.  Once the rice was soft, but still with a bite, I removed the pan from the heat and stirred in marscarpone cream. 

Because this is such a rich dessert, I served it in mini soup tureens, garnished with shards of dark chocolate.  What a hit! 

Thanks to Christy at Fudge Ripple for the creative inspiration.

*The rule of thumb that I was taught in Italy: you use one handful of rice per person that you're feeding and add an extra one for the pot.