Polenta tart with goat cheese, shallots, and tomatoes

I had some fabulous polenta at L'Artusi the other night and have been craving it since. I wanted to try something new, though, and thought a tart with polenta instead of a regular pie crust could be fun. I went to the farmer's market and picked up some really good salad greens, some hot house tomatoes, some shallots, and some fresh goat cheese. It was a pretty simple dinner, and would be great for a lunch, too. Really yummy! I want to try this again when more veggies are in season. Maybe fill it thickly with roasted vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. That would be great! The goat cheese was gooey and fab. Wish I could remember the vendor at Union Square market!

Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 small beef steak tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup polenta
2 cups milk
1 cup water
salt and pepper
butter
1/4 cup goat cheese (chevre style)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
1/4 cup grated Pecorino or Parm

Pot Roast with Polenta

Merry belated Christmas! Sorry for the break in posts. On December 23, Jamie and I decided we'd exchange our presents and have a special dinner. (He's quite the wrapping enthusiast as you can see above - aren't I lucky?) 

He is not wont to making dinner requests, but I implored him. His request was pot roast. I've never made pot roast before, but it follows the same formula as short ribs, lamb shanks, etc. (Anything you cook for 2+ hours with wine and lots of veggies is always melt-in-your-mouth delicious, so I obliged.) I followed Ina Garten's recipe, but added a little Balsamic vinegar - a trick I learned to give amazing flavor and a touch of sweetness from another slow braise recipe.

Gourmet Fries

Other than steak frites or truffle fries, french fries can seem out of place on a dinner party plate. I was watching Martha Stewart the other day and Ben Ford--son of Harrison Ford--made polenta fries. Polenta is so versatile because if you flatten it out and chill it, it becomes a blank canvas. You can cut it into shapes, grill it, braise it, fry it, sear it... They turned them into fries. I was making a simple dinner for Jamie and needed another element to make it enough food, and I happened to have some polenta in my pantry, so I tried them.

It couldn't have been easier. I mixed 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of chicken stock (from bouillon cubes I had in my kitchen) and brought it to a boil. Then I whisked in 3/4 cup of polenta with a pinch of salt and stirred it until the polenta pulled away from the sides--about 3 minutes. Then I grated in some Pecorino Romano cheese (which I prefer to Parmesan, but use whatever you like.)

I put some parchment paper over a cutting board and spread the polenta on top. Then I wet my hands and pushed the polenta into a rough rectangle about half an inch thick and threw it into the fridge.
Once it chilled--about an hour and a half--I cut it into 1/2 inch wide and about 4 inch tall strips. I heated some ghee (clarified butter) and olive oil in a skillet--you can use regular butter. While it was heating up, I rolled the polenta strips in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, chilli powder and cumin. I put them in the skillet and cooked them for about 20 seconds on each side, or until they got a little brown on each side. Then I took them out, drained them on a towel, and doused them with salt.

They were crispy and delicious, and I have a little flat polenta left over so they might be on the menu again tonight.

This was more than enough for 2, but if you're making it for 4-6, I'd say double the recipe.