Polenta with Brandy Cream Mushrooms This polenta will rock your world! Adding the baking soda at the very end makes it fluffy and is transformative. Into a pot, put 2 c. milk, 1 c. cream and 1 t. salt, place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once this is boiling, stir in 3/4 c. cornmeal. Continue to stir until it thickens completely, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand while you make the mushrooms. In a pan over high heat put 2 T. butter and 6 c. sliced cremini mushrooms, salt and pepper, sauté for about 5 minutes then add 1/4 c. brandy, 2 garlic cloves, minced, and sauté until almost all the liquid is gone, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 c. cream and 1/4 c. grated parmesan. Allow the mixture to boil rapidly until it thickens. Remove from the heat and adjust the salt. Once you see that the mushrooms are just about finished, add to the polenta 2 T. grated parmesan and 1/2 t. baking soda, and stir. Once this is fully incorporated and the polenta is fluffy, stop stirring. Spoon some of the polenta onto plates, then some of the mushrooms, garnish with chopped chives. Serves 4.
Corn Fritters with Sriracha Crème These corn fritters are a great bite with a cocktail. These can be made ahead of time and quickly heated in the oven. To make the crème – in a bowl put 1/2 c. crème fraiche, 1 t. honey and 1/2 t. Sriracha, mix well, cover, and place in the fridge for later. For the fritters, in a bowl put 1/2 c. corn meal, 1/2 c. flour, 1 T. sugar, 1 t. baking powder, 1 t. Chinese 5-spice and mix well. Set aside. In another bowl, put 1 egg and lightly beat. Whisk in 1/2 c. milk, then stir in the dry mixture then stir in 2 c. corn, thawed. Into a large sauté pan, put enough canola oil to have it 1/2-inch deep. Place this over high heat and let the oil get very hot before starting. Test with a little blob of dough. When it’s a nice golden colour, you are good to go. Drop tablespoon-sized blobs of batter into the fat about 6 at a time. Flip them over when you see a golden ring. Remove from the oil and blot on paper towels. Repeat 3 more times. Serve warm with the sriracha crème. Makes 24.
Salted Caramel Popcorn Salt – caramel – popcorn – umm, what else do you want me to say? This is so good and so easy, you’ll be surprised. Put 10 c. plain popped corn in a large bowl, set aside. In a pan over medium heat put 1 c. salted butter and 1 c. brown sugar, stir until it has all melted and become a smooth bubbling sauce. Allow this to bubble for a minute more, then quickly stir in 1/2 t. baking soda. When the mixtures has gone all foaming pour it over the popcorn and work quickly to get the caramel evenly coated over the popcorn. Spread it out onto a parchment-lined baking pan and allow to cool before serving it. Makes 10 cups. Chris Halpin has been teaching Calgarians to make fast, fun urban food since 1997 and is the owner of Manna Catering Service. mannaonline.com. Recipe photos by Chris Halpin.
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