Polenta Rounds with Cheese, Chive Pesto, and Red Pepper
Chef Quincy Adams Erickson and I worked together in Austin during my stint as executive chef for a national chain. A graduate of the famed cooking school Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Quincy now owns Austin’s Fête Accompli, a catering company specializing in fresh, handmade appetizers. I asked Quincy to give me a cocktail party recipe for this book and, as usual, she came up with a winner. Make sure you have a small cookie cutter that will make bite-size shapes that your guests can easily pop in their mouths. Use whatever shape you’d like: circles, hearts, stars, triangles, or squares.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 30 to 40 appetizers
Ingredients
Chive Pesto
Preparation
Step 1
Grease a rimmed half-sheet (13 by 18-inch) pan with oil or cooking spray. In a large saucepan, bring the 4 cups water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the polenta, decrease the heat to medium-low, and cook until thick and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter, egg, Parmesan, and cayenne. Spread evenly in the prepared baking sheet, cool for about 30 minutes, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil to coat. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out rounds from the cold polenta and set them on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the polenta rounds with olive oil. Set aside.
Step 3
In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the goat cheese with the half-and-half until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper. Spoon the goat cheese mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (if you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a small spoon to assemble the rounds).
Step 4
TO MAKE THE PESTO: In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the pine nuts, chives, Romano, and garlic. Scrape down the sides and pulse again. With the food processor running, gradually add the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
Step 5
Using a metal fork, spear the pepper through the stem end; roast it over the flame of a gas burner, rotating it so that it is black and blistered all over. (Or blacken the pepper under the broiler or with a kitchen torch.) Place the pepper in a paper bag and fold over the top to close. Once the pepper is cool, use your hands to completely remove the blistered skin. Halve the roasted pepper and remove the seeds and membrane, then cut the pepper into 1/4-inch strips.
Step 6
TO ASSEMBLE THE ROUNDS: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pipe goat cheese on top of each polenta round. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Top with a teaspoon of pesto and sprinkle with diced pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
do it early
Step 7
Make the polenta rounds and top with goat cheese up to 1 day in advance. Set them on the baking pan, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. Both the pesto and the roasted red peppers can be prepared up to 1 day in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bake before guests arrive and top with pesto and red pepper.
