These grilled polenta cakes are a great base for so many toppings; spicy prawns, steak, tomatoes, cheese. They are so easy to make, involve little active time, and are a hit with family and friends.
Grilled polenta cakes are a great blank canvas for so many different appetizers. We served these with three different toppings in these photos; Spicy Prawn, Peppered Steak with Brandy Cream Sauce, and Tomato, Blue Cheese, and Pine Nuts. All were great!
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What's the difference between polenta and cornmeal?
Ah, the great debate! Are they the same? After much research here is what we discovered.
Polenta is the name of a dish, not an ingredient. WAIT. WHAT? You know we at Appetizer Bliss are all about using the right words and terms. So, here we are again in a dark place. LOL! Polenta is actually the name of the dish made with grains when it is ground coarse and cooked slow. NOTE: if you go to Italy, polenta will be made with a mixture of grains, not just corn like we use in the states.
Okay. Now that we know polenta is a dish, our question becomes, can we use cornmeal to make polenta? Yes, we can but if the cornmeal is a fine grind, it will result in a dish that is a little mushy or pasty in texture. We recommend finding a cornmeal that says polenta grind, or coarse grind when making polenta.
How to Make Polenta Cakes
Making polenta was scary - until I just did it! It only takes a few minutes and a few ingredients. It is SO easy, SO creamy, and SO delicious! This grilled polenta recipe walks you through step by step.
Basic Order for Making Grilled Polenta Cakes
- Add polenta to boiling stock. Stir and cook until it thickens.
- Remove from heat. Add parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
- Add butter and stir until combined.
- Pour in baking dish, refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove from baking dish and cut into polenta rounds or squares.
- Grill polenta on a grill pan on the stovetop.
- Top and serve!
Equipment We Used
These polenta cakes don't take any special equipment. A pan for making the polenta. A baking dish to chill the polenta. A knife or round biscuit cutter to cut the cakes. A grill pan (or skillet) to fry them. Throw in some parchment paper and a spatula and that's it!
We used a round biscuit cutter to cut our polenta bites, but these can also be cut into squares! We used a 1 ¼ inch round cutter and a 1 ½ inch round cutter. The results? Some testers felt the 1 ½ inch size was a little too big and the 1 ¼ inch was perfect.
How many bites will I get from this recipe?
This recipe will yield the following:
- 30 to 36 - 1 ¼ inch bites
- 24 to 30 - 1 ½ inch bites
Favorite Riffs
This is a great base recipe. We used parmesan cheese when making the polenta, but mix it up. Use feta cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese, or any other favorite soft cheese. Make this vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock. Add some crispy, small diced bacon or prosciutto to the polenta.
Make Ahead Tips
Polenta cakes are great as a make ahead item. Keep some in your freezer or fridge for a quick appetizer.
- Before cutting into individual bites. Store polenta in the pan in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- After cutting polenta into cakes. Store up to a month in the freezer either before or after grilling. Remove from the freezer and thaw.
- If not grilled, grill as directed.
- If grilled, reheat in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven until warm (4-8 minutes). They can also be reheated on a grill until warm.
Saving Leftovers
The FDA recommends discarding any perishable food that has been out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
If within the FDA recommendations, polenta cakes (that have not been topped yet) will store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to a month. Always store in airtight containers.
Some favorite toppings for Polenta Cakes
Besides being delicious, polenta cakes are great with many different toppings. Here are just a few of our favorite toppings.
- Spicy Prawns
- A slice of cherry tomato slice, piece of blue cheese, and toasted pine nuts
- Peppered Steak with Brandy Cream Sauce
Polenta Cakes with Spicy Prawns
Polenta Cakes with Peppered Steak and Brandy Cream Sauce
Polenta Cakes with Tomatoes, Blue Cheese, and Pine Nuts
Some Common FAQs
Polenta is actually the name of the dish made with grains (like corn!) when it is ground coarse and cooked slow. In the United States, we tend to make polenta with just corn and not a mixture of grains (like they do in Italy). Can we use cornmeal to make polenta? Yes, but use a cornmeal that says polenta grind, or coarse grind, and not a basic cornmeal. If the cornmeal is a fine grind, it will result in a dish that is a little mushy or pasty in texture.
YES! They freeze great. Freeze them in an airtight container before or after grilling for up to a month. Remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator before using. If grilled, reheat in the oven or on a grill until warm. If not grilled yet, grill according to directions in the recipe.
We tested two sizes, 1 ¼ inch and 1 ½ inch. 50% of the testers felt the 1 ½ inch size was a little too big. The other 50% were fine with either size. SO - we recommend cutting the bites into 1 ¼ inch pieces (round or square).
We didn't test this recipe using a roll of polenta (I mean, we overcame our fear of making polenta, so we had to make it! plus it's so easy), but it should work just fine. Cut the polenta tube into slices, about 1 inch thick. Cut those into bite sized pieces using a knife or cookie cutter. Grill polenta pieces according to the recipe. Top and serve!
📖 Recipe
Grilled Polenta Cakes
- Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: 30-36 bites 1x
Description
These grilled polenta cakes are a great base for so many toppings; spicy prawns, steak, tomatoes, cheese. They are so easy to make, involve little active time, and are a hit with family and friends.
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup yellow polenta (160 grams)
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
MAKING POLENTA
- Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside. See notes below for one of our favorite methods of lining pans with parchment.
- Heat chicken stock in a large pot until boiling.
- Reduce heat to medium-high and slowly add the yellow polenta cornmeal to the boiling stock while whisking. Continue whisking until combined. Reduce heat to medium and continue whisking until mixture thickens, 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, salt, and a small dash of pepper. Stir until mixed thoroughly and cheese is melted.
- Add the butter and stir until melted and combined.
- Pour into the lined baking dish and gently smooth out the polenta to an even thickness. This should be about an inch thick.
- Place in the refrigerator until chilled, at least 4 hours, but longer is even better. You want this chilled all the way through to help the polenta cakes hold together when cutting and frying. If chilling overnight, lightly cover the dish.
CUTTING AND GRILLING POLENTA
- Once the polenta is chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Gently lift the polenta out of the pan using the parchment paper and place on a cutting board.
- Cut the polenta into bite sized pieces with a round cutter (we like the 1 ¼ inch size). This can also be cut into squares, just make sure they are small, bite sized squares.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the olive oil. Add the polenta cakes to the skillet. Leave enough room to flip the polenta cakes over.
- Cook the polenta cakes for 2-3 minutes or until they're golden brown. Flip the polenta cakes and grill the other side.
- Once both sides are crispy and brown, remove them from the skillet. Continue grilling any remaining polenta cakes.
- Top with your favorite toppings and serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat in a 400 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 4-8 minutes or until warm.
Notes
Polenta vs. Cornmeal. Polenta is the name of the dish and not actually the name of the ingredient! Here in the U.S. we make polenta with corn and not mixed grains like they do in Italy. While you can use cornmeal for making polenta, look for a coarse grind cornmeal or one that says specifically polenta on it. Using a fine grind cornmeal can leave you with a mushy, pasty polenta.
Mix it Up. This is a great base polenta recipe. Make this your own with different soft cheeses; goat, feta, even cream cheese. Add some spices or fresh chopped herbs. Add some crispy bacon or prosciutto to the polenta with the cheese. Keep it vegetarian. We like this with chicken stock, but these are equally good with vegetable stock or water if you want to make them vegetarian.
Toppings. These are great with so many different toppings. We especially like these toppings
- Cherry tomato slice, blue cheese, and toasted pine nuts
- Spicy Prawns
- Peppered steak and brandy cream sauce (recipe coming soon)
Line pan with parchment to easily remove polenta from the pan when cutting. One of our favorite methods is to cut two strips the width of your pan. Place one in the bottom with the edges of parchment coming up over the edges of the pan. Turn the pan 90 degrees and place the other piece of parchment in the pan so the edges of parchment come up over the remaining two sides of the pan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Inactive Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 49
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 158 mg
- Fat: 2.7 g
- Trans Fat:
- Carbohydrates: 4.3 g
- Protein: 1.9 g
- Cholesterol: 4.4 mg
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