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I love banana custard and I love banana porridge so the first thought
that come to mind, when searching for a sweet polenta recipe, was a
banana polenta. This was followed by the idea of vanilla polenta inside
little pastry tartlets which led on to a brulee idea (the mind works in
mysterious ways). Inspired, I set about making dessert from ground
maize. Depending on whether you want it runny or thick, adjust the
amount of milk you add. Also, I don’t like my desserts too sweet so you
may want to add another spoon of sugar, or perhaps some golden or maple
syrup. The banana could be left out and vanilla added, if you like.
This recipe serves four
and is a healthy option for pudding. And eaten hot there is something
deeply comforting about it. Eaten cold there is something wonderfully
naughty about it which reminded me of the times I would wait for my
custard to set before I ate it. Or perhaps it brought back memories of
a trifle made up with a layer of blancmange.
- 100g ‘instant’
polenta
- 500-700ml of milk
(you could use half milk, half cream, and it is your choice whether
you use skimmed, semi or full; the creamier it is the more indulgent
it will obviously be)
- 2 very, or over-,
ripe bananas
- 3 heaped
tablespoons of dark sugar
- 4 teaspoons of
(golden) caster sugar if you intended to ‘brulee’ them
- Some fruit to
serve, perhaps a banana or some sweetly-sharp ripe berries
Chop the banana into a
very fine pulp. Place in a deep pan with the milk and sugar and bring
towards the boil, as it is about to bubble add the polenta and stir
vigorously until thick and smooth.
If you want it as a
custard or porridge consistency you may want more milk to ‘loosen’ it.
Serve in a bowl with some fresh fruit.
For the brulee, pour
into individual ramekins and allow to cool, preferably in the fridge.
Just before serving sprinkle each with a teaspoon of sugar. You could
chop a banana to lay above the polenta and then sprinkle the sugar above
this. If you have a kitchen blowtorch then flame the topping until it
melts to a golden brown bubbling caramel. If you haven’t got a
blowtorch, or are scared of fire, then place under a hot grill until
bubbling. Enjoy the sharp chewy crack of the brulee with the smooth,
thick polenta base. Absolutely delicious.
The banana polenta opens up a beer pairing challenge: creamy, custardy
and sweet with a possible burnt sugar topping. Not many beers would be
up for the challenge, but those that are suitable are brilliant. Try St
Feuillien’s Brune, Greene King’s Strong Suffolk Vintage Ale with
banoffee flavours and a big nose of burnt caramel, Brakspear’s Triple
again has some banoffee notes along with a big almondy kick, or La
Trappe’s Quadruple Trappist which is a brilliant beer and one to be
savoured long after the pud has been eaten.
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