Lemon polenta biscuits
Five reasons why polenta would beat you in a fight TO THE DEATH!
- Stealth: almost impossible to find in the supermarket and never in the same place twice. Will it be with the polish food? In the Jewish section? I’ve seen it with the pasta and the flour. No one knows.
- Camouflage: it’s cornbread, no, it’s a pizza, no, it’s a deep fried side, then while you’re off to get a napkin it’s GONE!
- Skills: Polenta can easily fluff up with a bit of hot water, but in a biscuit can keep its form and stay crunchy. Even though it’s baked. Brilliant.
- Alliances: Vegetarians, tick. Coeliacs (in it’s basic form), tick. Unsuspecting children, tick.
- You will underestimate it: derived from grain mush, classed as peasant food, even called gruel, it knows how to play down play it’s abilities until it’s too late for you…
When I get in to something I really get into something. And lately I’ve been reading the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’ve polished off two books in seven days and am just starting the third.
Consequently my entire being has been overtaken with thoughts of terrible fights to the death, corrupt governments and evil survivor style games. I’ve walked in to people in the tube in my refusal to put my kindle down and cooked a whole risotto while reading.
Considering I usually cover my eyes during surgery scenes in Grey’s Anatomy, I’m shocked at myself.
And as far as polenta goes. I’m just saying. Watch your back.
I modified this recipe from a little unknown chef called Jamie Oliver.
Now if you excuse me, I have a book to read.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups medium non-instant polenta or yellow cornmeal
170 grams (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces) softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
Method
Note: the below method is from the original Jamie Oliver recipe. I just mixed it by hand (didn’t use a food processor) and never chilled it in the fridge. It was fine.
- Preheat the oven to 180°. Line several baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
- In a food processor, combine the polenta with the butter, sugar, flour, orange zest and salt and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Add the eggs and pulse just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough to a bowl and refrigerate until slightly firm, about 1 hour.
- Using two teaspoons, drop slightly rounded teaspoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. They will spread, so make sure you give them space.
- Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges and on the bottoms.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 36.
Healthy: 80 calories a biscuit.
Gluten free: swap out the flour and it is.
Storage: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week or frozen for 1 month.
