Polenta Cheesecake With Pine Nut Sauce Recipes

POLENTA CHEESECAKE WITH PINE NUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In an 8- by 3-inch springform pan stir together flour, sugar, and salt and with your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in ice water until incorporated and press mixture evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake pastry in middle of oven until golden, about 12 minutes.
• In a small saucepan bring grappa or rum with raisins to a boil, stirring occasionally, and remove pan from heat. With back of a spoon force polenta through a coarse sieve into a bowl to break up lumps. Stir in cream cheese until smooth and whisk in remaining ingredients until combined well.
• Reduce temperature to 350°F. Drain any liquid from raisins. Pour filling over pastry and gently stir in raisins. Bake cheesecake in middle of oven 1 hour, or until edges are golden but middle trembles slightly. Turn off oven and cool cheesecake in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven and chill, covered, until cold. Cheesecake may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a heavy saucepan cook sugar over moderate heat, without stirring, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook sugar, stirring with a fork, until melted and swirl pan until a deep caramel. Add water (mixture will bubble up) and cook, stirring until caramelized sugar dissolves. Cool sauce slightly and stir in pine nuts and vanilla until combined.
• Serve cheesecake drizzled with sauce.
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• In a heavy saucepan bring water and salt to a boil and gradually whisk in cornmeal in a thin stream. Cook polenta over moderately low heat (it should be barely boiling), stirring constantly, until very thick and pulls away from side of pan, about 40 minutes for cornmeal and about 15 minutes for instant polenta. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm. Stir polenta just before using. Polenta will keep warm, covered, about 20 minutes. Makes about 3 cups.
• Note: In the traditional method of cooking polenta, forty minutes of constant stirring is required to achieve a lumpless texture and fragrant flavor. However, Italian-food expert Marcella Hazan has developed a method that involves very little stirring during this time. We believe it produces a very good polenta, one nearly as flavorful and smooth as the traditional procedure. To make satisfactory polenta in a real hurry, an imported instant polenta (precooked cornmeal) is available. This cooks in a mere fifteen minutes.

PESTO POLENTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Oil an 11x7x2 inch baking dish.
• Arrange a single layer of polenta in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the polenta. Spoon half of the sauce over the polenta. Top with another layer of polenta and sauce.
• Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Top polenta with cheese and pine nuts, and broil until cheese browns and nuts are toasted.

SAVORY MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Make the crust:
• In a bowl blend together the cracker crumbs, the walnuts, the butter, and salt and pepper to taste. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a buttered 10-inch springform pan and bake the crust in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 10 minutes.
• Make the pesto:
• In a food processor purée the basil, the sun-dried tomatoes with the reserved oil, the garlic, the Parmesan, the pine nuts, salt and pepper to taste until the mixture is smooth.
• Make the filling:
• In the bowl of an electric mixer blend together the mascarpone, the cream cheese, the eggs, and the flour until the mixture is very smooth.
• Pour half the filling into the crust, spoon the pesto over it, spreading the pesto carefully with the back of a spoon, and spread the remaining filling over the pesto. Bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 325°F. oven for 1 hour.
• In a bowl blend together the sour cream and the flour, spread the sour cream topping on the cheesecake, and bake the cheesecake for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until it is set. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack and chill it, covered loosely, for at least 3 hours or overnight. Remove the side of the pan, garnish the cheesecake with the sun-dried tomato slices and the basil, and serve it with the greens.

POLENTA AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• In a heavy 2 quart sauce pan, melt butter over low heat.
• Add water, turn up heat, and bring to a boil.
• Slowly add cornmeal while whisking constantly.
• Lower heat slightly and continue to boil and stir until polenta becomes thick and pulls away from sides of pan. (about 30 minutes).
• Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
• Cool slightly (until able to handle).
• Grease cookie pan with half of the oil and spread evenly in pan.
• Rub top with remaining oil.
• Chill.
• If grilling, cut into squares (3 to 4 inches).
• Grill on hot grill until crisp on outside and soft and creamy on inside -- or.
• If baking, sprinkle with a little more cheese, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then cut into squares.

POLENTA WITH PARMESAN AND TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. Stir together, and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir in the butter and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, and stir in the Parmesan, if using. Spoon onto plates, make a depression in the middle and spoon 1/4 heaped cup of simple tomato sauce into the depression. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

PESTO POLENTA LASAGNA--SUPER EASY!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Oil an 11x7x2 inch baking dish.
• Arrange a single layer of polenta in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Spread a thin layer of pesto over the polenta.
• Spoon half of the sauce over the polenta.
• Top with another layer of polenta and sauce.
• Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
• Turn on the broiler.
• Top polenta with cheese and pine nuts, and broil until cheese browns and nuts are toasted.