Come on in 'The Kitchn'
Each week we round up our favorite posts and recipes from our friends at The Kitchn.
This week, the Kitchn hips us to Marcella Hazan's no-stir polenta concept. "Polenta is like risotto: it has a reputation for needing lots and lots and lots of stirring." But behold this lazy, lump-free alternative.
Also on the Kitchn, chewy chocolate meringue cookies, a book devoted to grits, how to tell when cakes are done, and butternut squash pasties.
- The Best Chewy Chocolate Cookies Ever (& Low-Fat Too): This low-fat cross between a cookie and a brownie is basically a meringue (made with egg whites and powdered sugar) but multiplied by cocoa powder.
- Glorious Grits by Susan McEwen McIntosh: A whole cookbook devoted to the glory of grits, including more than 100 recipes in all.
- How to Tell When Cake is Finished Baking: You can be as precise as using an instant-read thermometer, or there's always the toothpick trick.
- Recipe: Butternut Squash, Sage, and Parmesan Pasties: A pasty (pronounced PAST-ee) can be filled with just about anything. Here's a nice autumnal spin on the buttery pie pocket.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
4 Comments:
I've never succeeded in getting lump-free polenta until I started it by putting the polenta in the post, then adding cold water and bringing it all to the boil after it was smoothly combined.
Lippy at 8:35PM on 10/22/09
Polenta = corn flavored napalm
AliceBlue at 9:39PM on 10/22/09
Failproof, one-stir rice cooker polenta: add corn meal and water to rice cooker (1 part by volume coarse stone ground meal to 4 parts water gives a medium firm polenta), salt to taste, run porridge cycle, open and stir briefly (you can also loosen the texture at this stage with a bit of water), run porridge cycle again. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Tazza Lenghe at 12:00PM on 10/23/09
Lippy has it right! The secret to lump free polenta is adding the corn meal to the liquid ( I use one third water ,one third milk ,one third broth) before you bring it to a simmer. While stirring is still a necessity, I wait until it slightly thickens then add butter and cheese while doing that. Reduce the heat ,let it cook 10 to 15 minutes. Perfect lump free polenta..Ta Da..
Kenzo at 12:07PM on 10/23/09