Best Polenta Toasts With Goat Cheese And Fresh Thyme Recipes

POLENTA, GOAT CHEESE, AND MUSHROOM TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 15-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit it into a 9-inch quiche dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch and fold toward center, pressing against side of dish. Chill shell until ready to use.
• In a skillet cook mushrooms with salt to taste in 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until golden and any liquid is evaporated. Spread mushrooms in shell and bake in middle of oven 20 minutes.
• While tart is baking, with back of a spoon force polenta through a coarse sieve into a bowl to break up lumps. Stir in sour cream and remaining 6 tablespoons butter until combined well. Force goat cheese through small teardrop-shaped holes of a grater and stir into polenta mixture with eggs and salt.
• Spread polenta mixture over mushrooms and sprinkle with thyme. Bake tart 35 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cool tart on a rack until just warm.
• To make butter pastry dough:
• In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt and with a pastry blender or your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On a floured work surface smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions with heel of hand to slightly develop gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in 1 hour. Dough may be made 1 week ahead and chilled. Makes enough dough for a single-crust 9-inch tart.
• To make basic polenta:
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

CREAMY GOAT CHEESE POLENTA

Steps:

• In medium pot with high sides combine the water, milk and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce the heat to low and slowly pour in the polenta while whisking constantly.
• Cook the mixture for at least 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until thickened and cooked.
• Stir in the Chavrie®, lemon zest and kosher salt.

POLENTA TOASTS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND FRESH THYME

Steps:

• Lightly oil 2 baking sheets. Combine 6 cups water and salt in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually add cornmeal, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until polenta is thick and creamy, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon warm polenta out onto wet work surface. Roll out polenta with wet rolling pin to 1/3-inch thickness. Cool completely. Using wet 1 3/4- to- 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out polenta rounds. Discard polenta scraps. Transfer rounds to baking sheets.
• Lightly brush polenta with oil. Bake polenta 15 minutes. Turn polenta rounds over. Lightly brush with oil and bake until polenta is slightly puffed and pale golden, about 10 minutes longer.
• Spoon goat cheese into pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Transfer polenta rounds to platter. Pipe 1 small rosette in center of each polenta round. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.