Polenta

with Mushroom Jam

Makes 4 servings

This dish looks and sounds similar to the Grits with Mushroom Ragu, but I’m including both recipes in this book to show how the same set of ingredients can yield very different dishes. Here, I cook the mushrooms further down to make a sweet and sour jam that can stand in anywhere you’d use a chutney. I then stir bite-size chunks of cheese into the polenta, which adds little pockets of intense, earthy flavor, making every bite different. I use Ardith Mae Farmstead’s Mammuth, a Camembert-style cheese that’s made with goat’s milk. You can use anything similar—Camembert’s extra-creamy cousin, Brie, is a good substitute as well—but please leave on the rind: It’s full of flavor and adds a pleasant chew to the polenta.

Polenta

• 6 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup medium or coarse polenta, preferably stone-ground

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and add the salt. Stir in the polenta, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the polenta is creamy and slowly falls off a spoon but still has a little bite, about 45 minutes. It’s best to use the polenta right away, but if you want to make it a few hours ahead, press a piece of plastic on top of the polenta and let cool to room temperature. Rewarm gently over medium-low heat with a splash of milk.

Mushroom Jam

Makes 2 cups

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 8 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, quartered (large mushrooms cut into sixths)
• Kosher salt
• ½ cup dry sherry
• 1 cup champagne vinegar
• ½ cup sherry vinegar
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red finger chiles (with seeds)
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and a big pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and vinegars, bring to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is syrupy, about 15 minutes. Add the maple syrup, bring to a simmer, and cook until the mushrooms are jammy in texture, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the finger chiles and rosemary and let cool. The mushroom jam can be made up to a few days ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

For Serving

• Polenta
• 1 cup Mushroom Jam
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• 3 ounces (about ¼ wheel) Camembert or Camembert-style cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ¼ cup mixed chopped parsley, chives, and tarragon
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Rewarm the polenta and mushroom jam if necessary. Stir the butter into the polenta and season to taste with salt. Gently stir in the cheese. Spoon the polenta into serving bowls and spoon some of the mushroom jam on top. Top with the herbs and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

The Takeaway

Most polenta recipes call for a 4:1 ratio of liquid to polenta. I find this is rarely enough liquid and use a full 6 cups of milk to cook 1 cup of polenta to get the porridge-like texture we want. Coarse, stone-ground cornmeal requires the most liquid; if you’re using a finer grain, you might want to start with 4 or 5 cups of milk and add more as needed. You’ll know the polenta is finished cooking when it slowly falls off a spoon, like a cake batter, or when you can run a finger through the polenta (be careful, it’s hot) and the trench will hold its shape for a couple of seconds before filling back in.