Delicious little rounds made easy with a few short-cuts!
Listen, I am definitely not above taking a few short-cuts here and there to make life a little easier – y’know what I mean? This is especially true when it comes to cooking and entertaining. It’s a LOT of work, so I’ve made this one pretty darn easy – yet still impressively guest worthy!
Here are my short-cuts:
Instead of making polenta from scratch, spreading it onto a baking sheet, chilling it, then hand-cutting it into tiny rounds….Ugh, killin’ me. I uhhhhhh…. bought a pre-made polenta roll, then just sliced it into 1/2″ thick rounds. tee he he!
Instead of making pesto from scratch, I bought pre-made and doctored it up a little to taste, by adding a little more parmesan cheese, garlic and chopped pine nuts. Of course you can simply use it “as is.” You’re the boss of you!
Heads up, these rounds are about 2-3 lady bites each – or 1 guy-bite. Oliver popped the entire thing into his mouth. In front of company.
Anyway – they’re delicious, super flavorful, fast and guests will love!
A word about serving
Especially during the holidays and for larger groups of guests, I almost always use tiered serving platters like below. First, the use of varying heights give it a WOW factor (we like!) Second – it’s a more efficient use of space! And finally – it’s the perfect way to display a variety of h’ors d’oeuvres or sweets, in one pretty piece!
Think of times you’ve been to a fancy buffet….. they most always use tiered serving platters for the same reasons. Copy their expertise!! 
Consider one tier with these Polenta Rounds, another with Cauliflower Caviar Blinis and the 3rd tier with Fig & Goat Cheese Bites. Beautiful, elegant and so festive! It’s easy – but looks fancy and special! Oh – and not expensive…..
Try these…
Polenta Rounds with Sundried Tomato & Pesto – FAST
Ingredients
- 1 Pre-made Polenta tube (about 7″ long)
- Salt & pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup almond flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 tub store-bought Pesto
- 4 oz goat cheese or feta
- Sundried tomatoes in oil, julienned
Instructions
- Slice the tubed polenta into 1/2″ rounds. Then place them on a paper towel and pat dry. Season each side of the rounds with a little salt to season.
- Next, in a shallow bowl whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt, pepper and a dash of water (1 tsp or so). Set aside. In another shallow dish, mix together the flour plus 1 tsp of salt & 1/2 tsp of pepper. Set next to the egg wash (you’re going to dredge the polenta rounds).
- Dredge each round first through the flour, then through the egg wash, then back through the flour. Set onto a baking sheet or cutting board until you’ve finished all of the rounds.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, spraying to coat with cooking spray and a touch of olive oil. Fry the polenta rounds on each side, until browned – about 2-3 minutes each side. Place on a paper towel.
Assemble
- Place all of the finished Polenta rounds onto a pretty serving platter or tiered platter, like below. Top each round with pesto, goat cheese and 1-2 of the julienned sun-dried tomatoes. The amount of pesto & goat cheese is up to you – I use about 1 tsp of each per round.
