I knew I was going to like this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe before I even made it. You just can’t go wrong with the words “creamy, cheesy, and garlicky” in the title.
This dish is very, very similar to risotto. Both call for Arborio rice. The biggest difference (to me) is the cooking method. With risotto, the broth (and often a little wine) is added to the rice a little at a time, while the cook stirs constantly for 20 to 30 minutes. For this creamy dish, the rice is cooked more like traditional rice in a covered pot. The aromatics and spinach are cooked separately and stirred into the finished rice, along with some cheese (I used Gruyère) and heavy cream. I really liked the less-intense method of preparation for this rice. The end result was just as creamy and satisfying as a dish of risotto.
Oh my, this was good! I couldn’t stop taking spoonfuls out of the pot while serving it up. It was deliciously rich and flavorful.
My husband made an interesting observation the night we at this. He has mixed feelings about my “experimental French recipes”, but he noted that his favorite ones are the least “French”. The Creamy, Cheesy, Garlicky Rice with Spinach is one that he liked, and I will definitely be making it again.
I apologize for the uninspired photo… I almost forgot to take it, and I was out of daylight, so I just snapped a quick picture before digging in!
From Scratch 
I think you did a great job with your photo. I have to admit that it is getting more difficult to get good ones now because the sun has usually set by the time I get dinner on the table. So much for natural light.
And by the way, I too was sold as soon as I read the title of this recipe. Creamy cheesy garlicky anything sounds wonderful to me!
Oh man, this had my mouth watering just reading the title!
What an interesting observation from your husband….glad he liked the “risotto”! It’s hard to always remember the photos, and sometimes my family gets impatient with my photography!
Happy French Friday!
I think your photo captures the creaminess of this dish perfectly! Now that I have made this French risotto dish I think I am ready to tackle making the real risotto. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed this one. Have a lovely weekend, Karen!
I think it looks delicious. I seldom have daylight when I’m photographing the dishes, and I so often almost forget. We sit down to dinner, and I gasp “WAIT! I have to take a picture!” My husband likes to tease about it. Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed this one. I also loved the quick and easy cooking technique.
I sometimes forget to pictures too 🙂 Your pictures looks good coz you make me drool just looking at it for it reminds me how good it tasted 🙂 I like it for the simple method in preparing it 🙂
Some times meals & pictures don’t go hand-in-hand 🙂
This one was definitely a winner in our house!
LOL, I was thinking the same thing as your husband, the ones I loved are the ones that are the least bit French! Glad you both liked it though…!
So glad you and your family enjoyed this one. I really loved the creamy, cheesy rice…so delicious! I will also be making this one again! I think your photo looks great!
My partner feels the same way about my cooking “experiments” – he’s often surprised by how much he likes them, though! Your rice looks so creamy, it makes me want to have some again.
Karen, your blog is wonderful!
Thank you so much for your happy words over on my blog. I am so glad this allowed me to discover your own positively mouth-watering corner of the world!
Happy sewing, and cooking!
I think your photo looks great! I’m aways scrambling to take photos so we can eat. the flavors in this one were great and I think my D agrees with your husband – the less French ones seem to go over better. With only about 6 weeks of cooking from FFwD, that may change in the future for us.