Sunday, December 9, 2012

Pear and Persimmon Polenta Bread

Polenta Bread with Persimmon Kaki and Pear

I am lucky to have a lot of very international colleagues. My colleague who comes from Florida, a highly skilled cook herself, has awakened my palet to corn bread. This introduction happened last year during our cookbook project. To be perfectly honest I had mixed feelings with the first bite of her corn bread. On one hand I was so happy to have found something that is so simple, so tasty with qualities that would make a dish a family favourite instantly and on the other hand I couldn´t believe that it had taken me decades to get acquainted with this US staple. Of course I know why it is. Corn is not a staple in Estonia or in northern Europe for that matter. Polenta is more a southern European ingredient. It is grown in Italy or in Ticino in my current country Switzerland. In any case corn bread has found a place on my favourites list.



Today I am sharing a fruity version of the corn bread. Both pears and persimmons are quite sweet fruits and therefore don´t require too much added sugar. The changes to my friend´s recipe include adding the sour cream and the fruit, changing the quantities of flour, sugar and bicarbonate baking soda.

Pear and Persimmon Polenta Bread
Ingredients:

200g fine polenta
100g flour
1tsp bicarbonate soda
300dl butter milk
100g sour cream
2 large eggs
4 tbsp sugar
0.5 tsp salt
50g butter, melted
1 medium large pear (250g), grated
1 persimmon kaki, grated

Set the oven on 200 degrees Celsius.
In a large bowl whisk together butter milk, sour cream, eggs, sugar, salt and bicarbonate soda.
Add grated pear and persimmon, melted butter as well as the flour and polenta.
Combine everything into a smooth batter.

Fit baking paper into a tray (eg. 20 x 30cm) and trasfer the batter into the baking tray.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold. Dust powdered sugar on top if you prefer.

Fruity Corn Bread with Pear and Persimmon