Recipe for Polenta Bites

Polenta Bites with Blue Cheese, Tomatoes and Pine Nuts (from Epicurious.com)

3 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 ounces soft blue cheese (such as Saga blue), cut into 24 cubes

3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

12 grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Lightly butter 24 mini muffin cups (each about 1 3/4 inches in diameter with 1/2-inch-high sides).

Bring broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook until mixture is very thick, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan. Season with salt.*

Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons hot polenta into each muffin cup. Using back of spoon, pack polenta firmly into cups. Using finger, make indentation in center of each polenta tart for filling. Chill until cold and set, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.) **

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with foil. Using tip of knife, lift polenta tarts from pan. Transfer tarts, indented side up, to prepared baking sheet. Place 1 blue cheese cube in each indentation. Sprinkle green onion and pine nuts over cheese. Top each tart with 2 tomato quarters. Bake until cheese is melted and polenta is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Transfer tarts to platter; sprinkle with basil and serve.

Makes 24.

* When I made the polenta for this, I sautéed 2 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 tsp of chopped fresh rosemary and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes in 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter. Then I added 2 cups of chicken broth and ½ cup of heavy cream and ½ cup of milk and then followed the recipe’s instructions.

** Some of the reviews of this recipe suggested putting the polenta cups in the freezer for 30 minutes to make getting them out of the pan easier. I did this and it worked well.