Chocolate Polenta Cake Food

CHOCOLATE POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300°F. Grease 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
• Combine water and cornmeal in 1-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook 5-7 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes.
• Add butter, chocolate and vanilla; stir until melted. Cool completely.
• Combine 1/4 cup sugar and egg yolks in bowl. Beat at medium speed until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Stir in chocolate mixture.
• Beat egg whites in another bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating, gradually adding 2 tablespoons sugar, until glossy and stiff peaks form. (Do not over beat.) Gently stir in chocolate mixture.
• Pour mixture into prepared springform pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until cake is set in center. Cool completely. Garnish with whipped cream, if desired. Sprinkle with chocolate, if desired.

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Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.
• Combine water and corn meal in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes. Add butter, morsels and vanilla extract; stir until melted. Cool completely.
• Combine 1/4 cup sugar and egg yolks in small mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Stir in chocolate mixture.
• Beat egg whites in large mixer bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating; gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until glossy and stiff peaks form. (DO NOT OVER BEAT.) Gently stir in chocolate mixture. Pour mixture into prepared springform pan.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake is set in center. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove side of pan. Serve with whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings, if desired.

HARD POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine the milk, water, bay and cayenne. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and season generously with salt. Take the seasoning to the edge of too salty. To do this you MUST taste as you go. Polenta acts as a salt eraser, if you don't season abundantly here you will never recover from it.
• Once the liquid is at a boil and is seasoned appropriately, sprinkle in the polenta whisking constantly. Once the polenta is combined switch over to a wooden spoon and stir frequently until the polenta has become thick. Taste the polenta to see if it has cooked through. If it still feels mealy and grainy, add some more milk or water and cook it to a thick consistency. Repeat this process, as needed, until the polenta feels smooth on your tongue, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the chopped sage and mascarpone.
• Line a 7 by 7-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Pour the polenta into the prepared pan. Cover the top with more plastic smoothed onto the surface of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator until needed. (All of this can totally be done ahead of time, like yesterday! Cool!)
• When ready to use, remove the polenta from the pan and cut into desired shapes. Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with a little bit grated Parmigiano. Transfer to a serving platter and serve while hot.
• What a corncake!!!!

DARK CHOCOLATE POLENTA CAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8in round springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
• Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Leave to cool slightly.
• Mix together the almonds, polenta and baking powder in a small bowl.
• Beat the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until the mixture is light and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold through the melted chocolate until completely incorporated. Tip the bowl of dry ingredients into the chocolate mixture and fold in using a spatula, until just combined. Add the vanilla extract and fold through.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the tin and leave to cool slightly on a wire rack.
• For the sauce, put the butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then cook until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, then whisk. Bring to a steady simmer, then cook for 3 minutes, or until sticky and thick.
• Cut the warm cake into slices and serve with a little crème fraîche and a drizzle of sauce.

SPICY POLENTA CAKES

Steps:

• Combine the milk, salt and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking constantly, until the polenta tightens and there are no lumps, about 4 minutes. Stir in the queso blanco, butter, cilantro, pepper and jalapeno. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Generously butter a 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Pour the polenta into the pan and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, until firm.
• Preheat a griddle pan over medium heat. Invert the polenta onto a clean cutting board and slice it into nine 3-inch squares. Brush the squares on both sides with the olive oil, then griddle them until golden brown and warmed through, about 3 minutes per side. While warm, drizzle the polenta cakes with the honey and squeeze lime juice over the top. Serve.

WHITE CHOCOLATE POLENTA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan combine water and salt. Bring to a boil.
• Turn down the heat to low and add polenta in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. When polenta is incorporated switch to a wooden spoon and continue stirring until thick.
• When mixture is thickened remove from heat and stir in and cheese, thyme and white chocolate.

MOIST CHOCOLATE POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch cake pan and line it with parchment or waxed paper.
• In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir well and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar until very light yellow and fluffy. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping just until stiff and glossy, about 30 seconds more. Fold the egg yolks into the hot chocolate mixture until barely blended. Fold in the whites until barely blended. Sprinkle the brandy and polenta evenly over the surface of the batter and fold in. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the center is firm and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool in the pan. Cut into squares, dust with confectioner's sugar, and serve.

ORANGE POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line the base and sides of a round 23cm cake tin with baking parchment. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly. Once the mixture is combined, add all the dry ingredients and the zest and juice after you have measured off 100ml for the glaze.
• Transfer the mixture to the tin, spread evenly, then cook for about 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
• To make the glaze, put the juice and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 5 mins, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Drizzle the orange glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Serve with Lemon ice cream, below.

POLENTA RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Pre heat oven to 180 C.
• Brush 22 cm springform pan with melted butter.
• Line base of tin with baking paper.
• Soak currants and sultanas in Madeira for 15 minutes.
• Place ricotta, sugar, polenta, milk, rind and juice in large mixing bowl.
• Add soaked fruit and Madeira, combine with wooden spoon.
• Pour batter into tin.
• Bake 45 - 50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
• Serve with whipped cream and fruit if desired.