Latin American Passion Fruit sauce with saffron risotto and seared scallops

Ingredients for passion fruit sauce: 

4-5 hot peppers ( today I used 2 habaneros and 3 red fresnos)
1 2/3 cup of passion fruit juice/concentrate
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
About 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
1 TBSP honey

Ingredients for risotto: 

1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
1 cup white mushrooms, diced small
1 cup of diced red bell pepper
1 cup frozen peas
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp saffron
1/2 tsp tumeric (for color)
About 3-4 cups chicken stock
2-3 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan
salt and pepper
1/2 cup white wine

Ingredients for scallops: 

20 large sea scallops, dried on paper towels and covered in refrigerator
Salt, pepper, paprika or ancho powder
2 TBSP salted butter
2 TBSP canola oil

1 lime, zest and juice

Directions: 

1. Start with the sauce first. Heat a medium pot of water to a boil. 
2. Boil your peppers for 15 minutes. Drop in cold water to cool about 5 minutes
3. Peel and seed the peppers and toss them into food processor. To the food processor, add the other ingredients. 
4. Blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a sauce pot and place at the back of the stove. 
5. To start the risotto, add 1 TBSP oil to a medium pot. Sear the mushrooms about 2-3 minutes or until tender and color darkens. Remove with a slotted spoon. 
6. Add red peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Remove with a slotted spoon. 
7. Add more oil to the pot if needed, saute the peas for about 1-2 minutes, season with salt and pepper, remove with a slotted spoon. 
8. Heat your stock in a pot right behind your risotto pot so as you are adding stock to the risotto it is hot. 
9. To your risotto pot, add one more TBSP oil, add shallot and garlic. Saute about 2-3 minutes until fragrant and onion is translucent. 
10. Add the risotto rice. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until toasty and somewhat clear on the ends. 
11. Add the wine to deglaze. Stir until all the wine is absorbed. Maintain medium heat now.
12. Continue stirring the rice while adding one ladle of stock at a time. Wait until all stock is absorbed before adding another. 
13. After 3-4 ladles, add a pinch of saffron and 2 pinches of tumeric. Continue stirring and adding liquif slowly. 
14. After about 6 ladles, taste the rice to see how far you have to go and taste for seasoning. 
15. I added a little salt and more saffrom. Continue stirring. 
16. When rice is tender and the way you like it, turn off the heat, add back in your vegetables and add the parmesan cheese. Stir and taste for seasoning. 
17. Cover and reserve until ready to serve. I kept an extra ladle of stock so if the risotto sits and needs some liquid to loosen up at serving, I can add it. 
18. Season one side of scallops with salt, pepper and paprika. 
19. Heat up your passion fruit sauce just until a low simmer starts and then turn it down. Keep warm for serving. 
20. Heat a large cast iron pan with 2 TBSP salted butter and 2 TBSP oil to high heat. 
21. Sear scallops for seasoning side down. Season the other side in the pan. Sear a total of 2-3 minutes per side or until nicely colored. 
22. Remove to a paper towels and keep warm. 
23. To plate, ladle a little passionfruit sauce on the bottom. Then a scoop of risotto on one side, then 5 scallops on top. 
24. Garnish with squeeze of lime and lime zest. 

Enjoy with: 
The Wonderful Wine
Malvasia Bianca
2020
California, USA