We think polenta done the classic way with butter and cheese is swell and all, but we bet you've come up with more creative versions. Do you blend in herbs or top it with mushrooms? Do you fry it or bake it? Also, let us know what brand of polenta you prefer.
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Amanda uses her favorite microplane grater to zest a lemon "her way."
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The tarragon was especially beautiful -- buds and all.
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Since we couldn't find raw andouille, we chopped up some that was already cooked.
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Amanda gazes lovingly at the polenta. It IS quite attractive.
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One of our favorite kitchen maneuvers involves scraping ingredients from the counter directly into a hot pan. Sometimes risky...never dull.
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Amanda takes a breather to make sure we're on the right track.
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Adding chicken stock to the browned andouille and onion, in preparation for the polenta.
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The Dijon cream sauce, along with lemon zest and tarragon, awaits its big moment.
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Whisking the polenta into the pan gradually helps to avoid lumps.
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Amanda and Merrill smile as the Dijon cream sauce goes into the pan -- so unlike them!
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The spinach is gently folded in just before serving so that it retains its vibrant green color.
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Very few ingredients, all of them in the white and yellow family.
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Onion having a bad hair day.
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You slice the onion thickly, about 1/4 inch.
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Merrill stirs the polenta into scalded milk. Watch how it thickens...
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Amanda searches for a 3-inch round cookie cutter as arielleclementine calls for but settles on a square.
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The onions are just beginning to take on color.
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Once the polenta firms up it begins pulling away from the dish.
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It feels a little bit like a rubber mat when you take it out of the dish -- isn't it cool how it comes out in one big flexible piece? We thought so!
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Then it's like cut-out cookies.
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We saute them in a non-stick skillet -- you want the heat up fairly high so the polenta crisps and warms through before it gets loose.
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It apparently takes two to flip a polenta square. Actually, we're just vain about our polenta and didn't want to risk messing it up flipping it alone.
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We saw no reason to throw away the scraps. Reminded us of a window in Smurfland. And we weren't even drinking yet.
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The honey and goat cheese go on at the very last moment.
