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.
