Cornmeal And Fig Cake With Pine Nuts Food

CORNMEAL AND FIG CAKE WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 8-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Beat egg yolks and sugar in large bowl. Bring milk, grappa, and salt to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into egg yolk mixture. Return to saucepan. Whisk in polenta. Whisk over medium-high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 8 minutes.
• Fold figs, raisins, pine nuts, and fennel seeds into polenta mixture. Pour into prepared cake pan.
• Bake cake until golden brown, set in center, and beginning to pull away from sides of pan, about 40 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Cut around pan sides and invert cake onto platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FIG POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Butter and flour an 8 x 4 x 2-inch loaf pan.
• Sieve flour, cornmeal vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl.
• Put butter in a bowl and beat.
• Slowly add the sugar; blend well.
• Add eggs to butter mixture, two at a time, and beat until light.
• (If you use applesauce, add it in between the eggs).
• Add flour mixture alternately with milk.
• Beat until smooth.
• Stir in figs and nuts.
• Spoon into greased loaf pan.
• Bake about 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
• Cool on a rack.

CORNMEAL CREPES WITH FIGS AND PEARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pistachios on a small rimmed baking sheet; toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 6-8 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop; set aside.
• Meanwhile, whisk egg, milk, flour, cornmeal, sugar, vanilla, salt, and 1/4 cup cream in a medium bowl until smooth.
• Heat a 10" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat skillet with butter and add 3 tablespoons batter, swirling to cover the bottom of skillet. Cook, undisturbed, until edges turn golden and center begins to puff, about 2 minutes. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, loosen edges and then, using your fingers, flip crepe and cook until bottom is dry and set, about 30 seconds longer. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining batter, coating skillet with butter between crepes.
• Beat remaining 1 cup cream to soft peaks. Serve crepes folded, topped with whipped cream, pears, figs, and pistachios and drizzled with honey.

POLENTA FIG CAKE

Steps:

• preheat oven to 375. grease an 8" cake pan.
• beat yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
• in a saucepan bring milk, grappa, and salt to a boil, remove from heat.
• gradually add milk to egg mixture. return everything to the saucepan, add corn meal and whisk until thickened and beginning to bubble.
• add figs, raisins, nuts and fennel seeds to mixture, pour into the cake pan.
• bake 40 minutes until set and edges pull away from pan.
• cool 20 minutes in the pan, invert onto a plate, serve warm or at room temperature.