Cool Tool

I found this overgrown micro-zester last week at my local kitchen shop and have been merrily grating cheeses and citrus rinds at every opportunity. It requires a little restraint when used on lemon skins, lest its Big Boy teeth slice down into the bitter pith, but basically it does a splendid job of making slender strands of rind.
This afternoon I bought some lovely fresh scallops at the Los Altos farmers' market and decided to serve them with a lemon risotto reminiscent of one I'd tasted at Myth in San Francisco. I kept it super simple: I sauteed chopped shallots in olive oil, sweated the Arborio rice in the oil and then added a few slugs of vermouth. Once that was absorbed I finished the cooking with vegetable stock and, at the last minute, I stirred in the juice of half a Meyer lemon and then blitzed the pan with grated lemon rind.
This went onto hot plates while I quickly seared the scallops and then arranged them atop the rice. No one would have mistaken the dish as coming from Myth's superb kitchen, but it was pretty damned good for a suburban patio dinner on a hot Thursday night.