Recipe: Sous-vide polenta

I have thought about cooking polenta sous-vide for a long time, but only recently got around to experimenting with it.  To cook polenta properly the traditional method is a lot of work, and the potential for burning it if you don't scrape the bottom well (or turn your back on it for a second) is high.  I used polenta as a starch in a contest once and blistered my blisters during my daily practices - without a better option, such is the nature of the beast - you suck it up and keep going.  If you are in a hurry, make it the stove top method, it is faster, but if you've planned ahead, your life just got a whole lot easier.  You can have the polenta simmering on the stove in a holding pattern until the very moment you need it.

My goal was to produce a super creamy polenta, and I got it.  To that end, I did soak the cornmeal overnight in a portion of the water but I'm not convinced it was 100% necessary, but it couldn't have hurt.  I also stuck to the most basic formula to focus on the cornmeal - you will probably want to involve some cheese at least, and maybe some onion, garlic, aromatics or what have you.  Obviously, any sweating of onion or garlic will have to be done outside the bag, and it's your choice to mix it with the cornmeal before or after cooking - before will infuse the flavours better, but garnishes will retain their character better mixed in after cooking.  Other good news, you don't need a water bath.  I threw my batch in the industrial steamer at work, but you could also put it in boiling water.  The ratio below will give you a nice soft product with some room for adding butter or cream if you like, but if you were planning to set the polenta for frying later, you would want to cut the water down.

You will need:

250ml / 1C             cornmeal

1L / 4C                   water

2.5ml / 1/2tsp         salt (this leaves room for a salty cheese)

Method:

 - heat up 500ml (2C) of the water and pour it over the cornmeal - mix it up and let it soak overnight in the fridge (optional step)

 - mix in the rest of the water, salt, and anything else going into the cooking process

 - seal it all in a bag - not too tight - leave room to expand without excessive air 

 - steam 2 hours, if boiling, a bit longer (steam is hotter)

 - once cooked, remove from the bag, mix in garnishes and serve - or set in a pan for cutting and frying later