Michelle Darmody: Lemon poppy seed and polenta loaf
Polenta, or as it is named in American recipes, cornmeal, is simply fine ground corn. It adds a golden colour and grainy texture to baking. Most polenta we get in Ireland comes from northern Italy were it has been a staple for many years. Its main use is in savoury cooking, as a substitute for potatoes or wheat-based foods. The fine ground corn can be mixed with warm water or stock and at times grated cheese added for extra flavour. It is really comforting served on the side of a slow-cooked stew or with a roasted chicken. If you take it one step further and leave the polenta paste harden, you can then grill or fry it in slices. Either way, it can be a delicious side dish and one that is great too for those cutting back on gluten.
When used in baking polenta pairs well with fruit and almonds, both of which are used here. The cookies have wheat flour in the recipe but the other two are good wheat-free options. When you are taking the ricotta cake out of the oven it may still have a wobble in the centre. This will firm up once it has cooled down completely.
Finely-ground polenta is best kind for baking, even the fine ground variety will give you a very textured crumb. I find that a coarser grind can have a gritty mouthfeel in cakes.
- 2 lemons, preferably unwaxed or else rinsed in boiling water and thoroughly wiped to remove any wax
- 140g soft butter
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 200g ground almonds
- 1 tsp baking powder, sieved
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbs poppy seeds
- 175g fine ground polenta
Place the lemons in a saucepan and cover them in water. Bring to the boil then allow to simmer for an hour until the lemons are soft. Slice them in half once cool enough to handle and remove any pips. Blitz the lemons until they form a smooth paste.
Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment.
Beat the butter, sugar, almonds and baking powder together, add in the eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in the poppy seeds and polenta then add the lemon paste and combine.
Scoop the mixture into your prepared loaf tin and bake for about 50 minutes until baked through and golden on top. Allow to cool in the tin until it is easy to handle and then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- 110g butter
- 170g honey
- the zest of 3 oranges
- 4 eggs, separated
- 250g ricotta
- 125g fine polenta
- 150g ground almonds
Preheat your oven to 160°C and line an 8-inch round tin, either springform or loose-base tin works best.
Beat the butter, honey, orange zest until combined. Add the egg yolks, ricotta, polenta and ground almonds.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cake mixture.
Gently scoop the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. The centre will still have a little wobble which will firm up when cooled. Allow to cool in the tin.
- 250g plain flour
- 160g fine polenta
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder, sieved
- 1 egg plus an extra yolk
- 8 tbs soft butter, melted
- 2 tbs amaretto
- 1 tsp almond essence — optional
- 90g slivered almonds, chopped
Stir the flour, polenta, sugar and baking powder together.
Mix the egg, egg yolk and melted butter together. Stir in the amaretto and essence if you are using.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough is formed. Keep stirring for about 40 seconds to knead everything together. Stir in the chopped slivered almonds. Wrap the dough in parchment and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
Preheat your oven to 160°C and line two large flat baking trays with parchment.
Roll the dough on a floured surface to about 3mm in thickness. Using a cutter cut out the cookies and lay them on the prepared baking tray. Leave a bit of space for them to spread. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
