GFMs Quick Polenta Mock Napoleon

One day last week I was rummaging through the refrigerator before dinner trying to find something to pair with our main course. Well, I stumbled across some sun-dried tomato and basil polenta that I had purchased not too long ago but had no occasion to use…until now. Let’s face it, after a long day at the office it is hard to be fabulous with food but this trick will help elevate the mundane to marvelous.

Prepared polenta is one of those things that come with a long shelf life when refrigerated and makes for a quick and delicious side dish that, with a few small tweaks, makes it look like you slaved away in the kitchen for hours. And quite frankly who doesn’t like a bit of recognition every now and then. Try this fast recipe and it will be our little secret.

Here is what you will need:

1 package pre-cooked polenta (flavor of your choice) 2 vine ripened organic tomatoes 1 medium piece of naturally smoked Gouda cheese 2 tbsp. extra light olive oil Chopped fresh (or dried) tarragon Salt and pepper to taste

Let’s get prepping:

Open the packaged polenta and slice into 1 ½ -2 inch pieces. Slice the tomatoes into nice ½-1 inch slices and set aside. Do the same thing with the Gouda cheese.

Let’s get cooking:

Heat a large frying pan with olive oil over medium heat until up to temperature. Place the polenta slice in the pan. Using a metal spatula, flip the polenta slices often allowing them to develop a golden crust on both sides. Once the polenta is crisp and golden, place a slice of tomato then a slice of cheese on top of each polenta round and cover the pan. Turn off the heat so as not to burn and let the steam work its magic. After a few minutes, remove the cover and ensure that the cheese has melted into wonderful gooeyness.

Plate two pieces per portion and enjoy!