Polenta French Toast Recipes

BASIC POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.

GLUTEN-FREE POLENTA "FRENCH TOAST"

Steps:

• Make the polenta: Bring water and salt to a boil in a 2-quart pot. Add cornmeal in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring often, until mixture begins to thicken, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring often, for 1 hour.
• Stir in syrup, raisins, cinnamon, zest, nutmeg, and milk. Cook for 30 minutes. Spread polenta onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and let cool. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Make the "French toast": Cut cold polenta into 4-inch squares; cut each square into 2 triangles. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Toss polenta triangles with corn flour, dusting off excess. Add to pan; cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with maple syrup and raspberries.

POLENTA FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cornmeal in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly. Cook until beginning to thicken, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, 30 minutes.
• Add syrup, cinnamon, orange zest, nutmeg, and milk; stir well. Cook another 30 minutes on low. Pour into parchment-lined 13x9 baking dish and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
• Cut polenta into squares, then cut each square diagonally into triangles. Melt butter (2 tbsp per 4 triangles) in a large skillet. Dip both sides of each triangle in flour, patting off excess, then fry until crisp and brown on both sides. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup and fruit.

CREAMY PARMESAN POLENTA

Steps:

• Place the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly whisk in the cornmeal, whisking constantly to make sure there are no lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon, add the salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring almost constantly, for 10 minutes, until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly while you're stirring. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, creme fraiche, and butter. Taste for seasonings and serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

BASIC POLENTA

Steps:

• For firm polenta use 4 cups water; for soft polenta use 5 cups water. Bring water to a boil in a medium-size heavy sauce pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Pour cornmeal slowly into water, stirring with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Continue stirring as mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. If polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep polenta soft enough to stir. Put a spoonful on a plate, let it cool, then taste. Grains should be swollen and taste cooked, not raw. Adjust salt and add pepper if you wish.
• For firm polenta, lightly butter a baking sheet or shallow dish, approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Carefully pour polenta into pan. Using a spatula, spread polenta to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Cool to room temperature to allow polenta to solidify. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For soft polenta, add 6 tablespoons butter to pot and stir well. Serve immediately or transfer to a double boiler set over low heat, cover and keep warm for up to an hour or so. (Or set the saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water.) Stir well before spooning into low soup bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

OVERNIGHT FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Butter the front sides of the slices of bread and shingle the slices upright in the dish, overlapping as necessary. Nestle the raisins evenly between the slices of bread but not on top.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt until well combined. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and press the bread gently to absorb. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top. Bake until puffed, golden and set in the center, 50 to 60 minutes. While baking, if the top begins to get too dark, tent with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with maple syrup.

THE BEST FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• In a shallow dish, whisk together the first 7 ingredients. Preheat a greased griddle over medium heat., Dip bread in egg mixture, letting it soak 5 seconds on each side. Cook on griddle until golden brown on both sides. Serve with toppings as desired.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

OVEN-BAKED POLENTA

Steps:

• Butter a shallow 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish, and set aside. Place stock or water and salt into a large saucepan, and bring to simmer. Remove pan from heat.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slowly pour polenta into stock, stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon. Place pan on medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly in same direction. Boil 5 minutes, continuing to stir.
• Pour polenta into buttered dish, and cover with buttered foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and serve.

CLASSIC FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees, and place a wire rack on a sheet pan inside.
• In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs, additional yolks, milk, vanilla (if using) and salt until foamy and smooth. Set aside. Place a small lump of butter (enough to coat the bottom of the skillet when melted) in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over low heat. It will melt very slowly.
• When butter is just melted and bubbling, raise heat and bring to a sizzle. Place 2 slices of bread in the bowl with the egg mixture. Turn them a few times in the mixture until evenly saturated, about 5 seconds on each side. Do not soak.
• Lift a slice out of the egg mixture, gently shake off any excess, and place in the pan. Repeat until the skillet is full, and let the slices cook at a sizzle for about 2 minutes, until just turning golden brown on the bottom.
• Add another small lump of butter to the pan and flip the slices over, swirling the pan so that the fresh butter coats the bottom. (This will allow the second side to brown.)
• Continue cooking over low heat until the second side is golden brown. Dust with cinnamon sugar, flip again, and dust the other side. Test for doneness by pressing the center: The dent should slowly spring back. If it remains, the interior is not yet cooked. Continue cooking at low heat, flipping occasionally, until done. Serve immediately, or transfer to the oven to keep warm while cooking remaining bread. Serve as soon as possible. Top with maple syrup, berries, jam, sliced bananas, orange supremes - whatever you'd like.