Goat Cheese Polenta

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I love to "collect" side dishes. To me a great side dish goes a long way in complimenting an otherwise boring cut of meat. It can breath new life into chicken, pork, beef, or seafood. A good side dish is key to completing a meal, no matter if it is a salad, a veggie, or a starchy recipe.

Polenta for me has been mostly reserved for ordering at restaurants. I've made it a few times at home as well, but didn't care for it as much as I did when ordering out. It was almost tasteless and the consistency wasn't as appealing. Well, all that has all changed with this recipe. This Polenta was so good, that if I could have eaten it for a week straight I would have. I'm on a renewed quest to find more recipes for Polenta since it was so well received all the way around.

I found this recipe in a Cuisine at Home weeknight grilling magazine. On first glance the recipe is a very small blip on a page that featured a grilled pork tenderloin. In fact, it would have been easy to overlook if it wouldn't have been for my son who pointed it out to me. At first I wasn't excited, considering my previous experience with cooking Polenta at home, but after looking at the recipe I figured why not.

To make this dish, cornmeal is cooked in chicken broth and milk until it has reached the desired consistency. A generous helping of goat cheese, which added a little bit of tartness, and a little heavy cream for the final touch make this recipe irresistible. It was smooth, creamy and decadent all at the same time. The texture was spot-on as well. Definitely a restaurant worthy dish that I would have no problem serving to company. I served this along side grilled pork tenderloin which was a wonderful accompaniment.

The whole family could not get enough of this Goat Cheese Polenta, and all I had to account for was empty bowls after the meal. I can't wait to make this again, it was that good!

Goat Cheese Polenta
(adapted from "Cuisine at Home")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1%)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup cornmeal
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Bring broth, milk, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, then gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook until thick and bubbly, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Stir in goat cheese and cream.