Polenta Squared

Evan and I are taking advantage of this late spring sunshine by making ourselves busy around the house. We spent Sunday afternoon picking our paint colors for the trim of our home and spent Monday afternoon scraping, sanding, priming, and painting. To celebrate and show off our accomplishments we asked my mom over for dinner tonite.
On the Menu:
Griled Mediterranean Portobello Burgers
Portobello burgers brushed in galric olive oil, grilled and served with roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, tomato, mixed baby greens, goat's milk feta, and grilled rustic sourdough
Gorgonzola Polenta
Creamy polenta topped with a zucchini-summer squash saute
Strawberries and Cream
Juicy Oregon strawberries dipped in brown sugar-sour cream
Tropical Mocktails
Puree of mango, strawberry, and banana topped off with sparkling water and fresh lemon juice
Our gorgonzola polenta was inspired by the polenta served at Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe in New York City. Rich in flavor, this polenta has a silky smooth texture resulting from the use of a milk and cream mixture instead of stock and/or water used in traditional polenta reciopes. The toasted walnut garnish is a welcomed addition to the creamy richness of the flavor. For our version we substituted homemade vegetable stock for the cream, omittted the walnuts, and topped it with a green garlic infused zucchini and summer squash saute. Below you will find Union Square's Recipe. Try the original or find your own inspiration, just make sure to let us know how it goes...

ingredients
4 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal)*

1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 6 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped, lightly toasted walnuts

preparation
Bring milk and whipping cream to boil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk polenta into milk mixture in slow steady stream. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook polenta until creamy and tender, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Transfer cooked polenta to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Sprinkle Gorgonzola cheese over polenta. Broil until cheese melts. Sprinkle with chopped toasted walnuts and serve immediately.

*Polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal) is available at Italian markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute 1 cup regular yellow cornmeal, and cook mixture for about 12 minutes rather than 20 minutes.