Stuffed and glazed filet mignon de Porc with creamy polenta, candied apples and asparagus
We had friends visiting from London a few weeks ago and I served the same creamy polenta dish that I made at Christmas. Polenta is a cornmeal mush or porridge that originated in Northern Italy as a peasant food. When I served it at dinner, my friend commented how great it taste and noted that to him, polenta normally taste bland and totally uninspiring. I used to feel the same way about what one Southern friend of mine called “yellow grits” (that still makes me laugh).
The secret to good polenta is to never make it with water. I use full-fat milk, heavy cream and a lot of butter. This isn’t a low-fat version! Polenta is available in different textures with different cooking times. I have found that it’s also much better if yo use the finest polenta you can find and make sure to never use an instant polenta but find a fine, quick cooking one. I’ve been using Alpino Savioe Polenta Tradition Fine.
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Here is my recipe:
Himalayan Salt, to taste
5 cups full-fat milk 3.5-3.8% fat
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup fine, stone-ground yellow cornmeal
4 ounces (115 grams) cream cheese or mascarpone, at room temperature
More milk and heavy cream, if needed
Finely grated, medium aged, Pecorino cheese – buy one that is not as quite as hard as parmesan
Option 1: you can add saffron
Option 2: you can add white truffle oil and shaved truffles, after cooking and right before serving the polenta.
In a large saucepan, bring 5 cups of salted milk to a gentle boil. Add the butter, cream and salt. Whisking constantly, pour the cornmeal into the water in a steady stream until all is combined. Continue to whisk until you are sure there are no lumps of unincorporated cornmeal. If you are using quick cook polenta, you will need to reduce the heat to very low and stir constantly for about 5-10 minutes depending on the polenta. If you are using a regular cook, medium grain polenta you will need to lower the heat to very low, cover, and cook 20 minutes, uncovering frequently to stir.
Stir the mixture until thick and creamy. Remove from heat if it is bubbling too much. Add the Pecorino and mascarpone (or cream cheese) and serve, garnished with the grated cheese if you want or try one of the options I listed above.
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