popplers

Lemony freshness

The kitchen smells lovely right now. I am making one of my favorite desserts, a lemon almond polenta torta. (This is just a fancy way of saying lemon cornmeal cake— I've sometimes completely forgotten to add the 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract, and the recipe still tastes delicious.) I found this recipe in the Boston Globe's weekly Food section back in October 2003. It was adapted from Deborah Krasner's The Flavors of Olive Oil: A Tasting Guide and Cookbook.

It's interesting because it doesn't contain butter or flour; olive oil, cornmeal, and ground almonds provide the flavor and structure. I haven't changed the recipe much, other than to double the amount of ricotta cream. I really love how easy this recipe is to prepare, and that everything gets done in the food processor. Minimal clean-up, and the dessert looks (and tastes) like you've spent a lot more time in the kitchen.

Lemon almond polenta torta

Ingredients

TORTA:

Olive oil (for the pan)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup cornmeal (I use Bob's Red Mill corn grits)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups blanched almonds
1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large lemon, washed well
1/2 cup fruity olive oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Rub the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan with oil, line it with parchment paper cut to fit, and oil the paper.
2. In a bowl, mix together the salt, cornmeal, and baking powder.
3. In a food processor, grind the almonds with 1 cup of the granulated sugar to make a slightly coarse mixture.
4. Cut the lemon into quarters and remove any seeds. Add the lemon pieces to the ground almond mixture. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse puree. Taste for sweetness and add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, if necessary. (As far as I can tell, it's never necessary.)
5. Add the oil, milk, eggs, and almond extract. Process for 1 to 2 minutes or until just combined.
6. Add the cornmeal mixture and pulse just briefly to combine.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown and slightly moist in the center.
8. Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool. Run a knife around the cake, invert it onto a cake plate, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

RICOTTA CREAM:

2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
scant 1 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1. In a food processor, combine the ricotta, sugar, and vanilla. Work in on-off motions until the mixture is smooth.
2. Spoon the ricotta beside wedges of the cake and serve.

Posted by rv at January 30, 2006 11:15 PM to food