Damn Hot Polenta Bread Food

TUSCAN STYLE CORNBREAD (POLENTA BREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F In a medium bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a 10 inch cast iron skillet or 9-inch round cake pan and place in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and swirl oil around to coat bottom and sides.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine half-and-half, eggs, and remaining oil. Crumble in bacon, then stir in tomatoes, shallot, and rosemary. Add dry cornmeal mixture and stir just until moistened. Pour batter into skillet or cake pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
• Cut into wedges and serve with softened butter.

SAVORY POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large, oven-safe saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and salt and sweat until the onions begin to turn translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.
• Turn the heat up to high, add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Gradually add the cornmeal while continually whisking. Once you have added all of the cornmeal, cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every
• 10 minutes to prevent lumps. Once the mixture is creamy, remove from the oven and add the butter, salt, and pepper. Once they are incorporated, gradually add the Parmesan.
• Serve as is, or pour the polenta into 9 by 13-inch cake pan lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
• Once set, turn the polenta out onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rounds, or triangles. Brush each side with olive oil and saute in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, or grill.

GRILLED ROASTED GARLIC-ROSEMARY BREAD

Steps:

• Put the garlic, rosemary, and olive oil in a small skillet and heat slowly until the oil just begins to simmer. Turn the cloves over in the oil and saute for 10 minutes longer. Remove from the flame and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Remove the garlic cloves from the oil (reserve the oil) and mash them to a paste with a knife or mortar and pestle. Take the leaves off the rosemary sprig and finely mince them. In a bowl, combine the garlic paste, minced rosemary, and butter and stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise. Spread the cut sides with the seasoned butter and drizzle with a little of the oil used to bake the garlic. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, close the baguettes back up and wrap each in aluminum foil. Cook over medium heat on the grill or in a bed of slow coals for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into 2-inch-wide slices and serve immediately.

ROASTED GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut top from each head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Place heads of garlic (cut side up), on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Pour olive oil over them, and top with thyme springs. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil tightly. Place in a small ovenproof pan, and bake until the cloves begin to pop out, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool.
• To remove the cloves, open the foil and squeeze the lower part of the head of garlic. In a small bowl, mash the cloves to form a paste. (At this point the paste can be used or stored in the refrigerator or freezer.)
• Add butter and chopped thyme to the bowl, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Toast both sides of the bread, using a hot grill, grill pan, or broiler. Spread the roasted garlic butter paste onto the toasted bread. Serve immediately.

POLENTA BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES WITH MASCARPONE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line 2 cupcake pans with 12 paper muffin cups each. Sift together the flour and baking powder and stir in the polenta and salt.
• In a mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer running add the egg yolks, 1 at a time. Beat in the milk, vanilla, and lemon zest. With the mixer on low speed add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until just incorporated.
• In a clean, dry bowl whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add a pinch of sugar while the whites are mixing. Add half of the whites to the mixture and beat with the paddle. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the remaining egg whites with a spatula to incorporate air and lighten the batter.
• Spoon the batter into the lined muffin molds to fill the cups about 2/3 full.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool the entire pan on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing the individual cupcakes. Cool the cupcakes completely to room temperature before frosting.
• Combine mascarpone with the confectioners' sugar and beat together with a whisk until combined. Ice the cupcakes and decorate with the berries.

BREADED POLENTA CUTLETS

Steps:

• To make herbed bread crumbs:.
• Pulverize stale or lightly toasted whole wheat, sourdough, or French bread in a food processor. Mix in mixed dried herbs. Set aside.
• Bring the salt and water to a boil. Gradually pour in the cornmeal and stir briskly with a whisk until the polenta begins to thicken. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring frquently until the polenta tastes done. The cooking time will vary with different cornmeals. Finely ground cornmeal might be done after just a few minutes of cooking, coarsely ground and stone ground may need to simmer for up to 45 minutes. Add more water, if needed, during cooking, until the cornmeal is no longer crunchy and the polenta is the consistency of thick porridge.
• Meanwhile, saute the onions, garlic, and ground fennel seeds in the olive oil on medium heat for about 7 minutes. Remove the cooked polenta from the heat. Stir in onions and the grated cheese(if using). Add salt to taste.
• Pour the hot polenta onto an oiled baking tray or 10" pie pan to about 3/4" thickness. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Chill for at least 30 minutes. The plenta will thicken as it cools.
• Preheat the oven to 375*F. and oil a baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until they get foamy and then whisk in the milk. Place the bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. With a knife, cut the cooled polenta into squares, rectangles, diamonds, or whatever shape you like. Line up in order the pan of cutlets, egg mixture, bread crumbs and the oiled baking sheet.
• Lift one cutlet at a time with a spatula and dip it inot the egg mixture. Lightly coat the cutlet and gently shake off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the bowl of bread crumbs and coat well. Arrange the cutlets on the baking sheet about an inch apart.
• Bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown on both sides, turning once after about 20 minutes.
• Variation:.
• To fry the cutlets, heat olive oil about 1/4" deep in a skillet and fry the cutlets for 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately, or keep in a wqrm oven until ready to serve.