• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Joy the Baker
Joy the Baker
  • New Magazine!
  • Bread
  • Cookies
  • Cakes
  • Pies
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Biscuits
    • Muffins
    • Cupcakes
    • Drinks
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Nuts
    • Buttermilk
    • Chocolate
    • Vanilla
    • Holiday
    • Healthy
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegan
  • Blog
    • Baking 101
    • Tips
    • Beyond the Kitchen
    • Let It Be Sunday!
    • New Orleans

Breakfast Polenta: Two Ways

January 27, 2011 by Joy the Baker 186 Comments

IMG_8289

Dear Future Husband,

I got your email yesterday… the one with the subject line “To My Future Wife”.

Um….. can I be honest?  That was sweet… but a little creeptown.

I know… I know… you’re probably going to say it was all a joke and you were just kidding and blah blah blah.

Listen.  You may get the impression from this blog that it’s all sunshine and lollipops here at my end of the world.

Here’s some things you should know:

Sometimes I run out of toothpaste and forget to buy more.  Irresponsible.  I’m sorry.

I only have 168 Facebook friends.  That’s not a lot.

I adopt stray cats… even the ones with dirty, matted fur.  And I love them.  And I talk to them in my cat voice.

I have a voice I use specifically for cats.

I put my feet on the coffee table.  I’m demanding and unreasonable when I get stressed out.  I text too much.   I don’t want a pet bird.  I don’t want to pretend that I like your mother’s pet bird.  Oh.. and I’ll lose my everloving mind if you get pee on the floor and don’t clean it up.  I will.

So… yea.  I understand if you want to retract that email now.  If you don’t, you’re nutso.

IMG_8279

IMG_8275

I made breakfast polenta this morning.  Since I couldn’t decide if I wanted it sweet or savory, I made it both ways.

Then I ate both bowls.

Then I realized that I wanted savory breakfast polenta… but the sweet polenta was a lovely warm up.

Polenta… if you don’t know… is ground cornmeal.  When boiled with water, milk and butter, cornmeal cooks up into a creamy, warm, super comforting bowl of good.

Sweet Breakfast Polenta

Makes two large or four small servings

Print this Recipe!

3 cups water

1 cup yellow polenta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 ripe pear, sliced thin

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pecans

small handful dried cranberries

1-2 tablespoons honey

milk

add cinnamon and nutmeg if you’re feeling spicy

Check the directions on your particular box of polenta, as the coarseness, ratios and cooking times may vary.  This was my experience.

Bring water to a boil.  Add salt and turn burner down to a simmer.  Add  dried polenta in a stream, whisking constantly so no lumps form.  Polenta will begin to thicken immediately.  Whisk occasionally for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add butter and milk to the polenta and whisk over flame until your desired consistency is reached.

Top polenta with pear slices, nuts, cranberries, honey and as much milk as you like.  Delicious!

IMG_8313

Savory Breakfast Polenta

Makes two large or four small servings

Print this Recipe!

3 cups water

1 cup yellow polenta

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp

1/4 cup diced onions

1 small garlic clove, finely diced

3 tablespoons grated cheese

2 to 4 large egg, fried, depending on how many people you want to feed

Check the directions on your particular box of polenta, as the coarseness, ratios and cooking times may vary.  This was my experience.

Bring water to a boil.  Add salt and turn burner down to a simmer.  Add  dried polenta in a stream, whisking constantly so no lumps form.  Polenta will begin to thicken immediately.  Whisk occasionally for about 6 to 8 minutes.  Add butter and milk to the polenta and whisk over flame until your desired consistency is reached.

In a medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Remove cooked bacon and place on a paper towel to drain.  Cut into large bits when cool enough to handle.   Cook the diced onion in the bacon fat until browned and soft.  Add the diced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove onions and garlic and place in a small bowl.  In the same skillet over medium heat, fry the egg.  Fry is easy or hard… however you fancy your eggs.

Place polenta in a bowl and top with cheese, onions, bacon and the fried egg.  Hot sauce and black pepper are highly recommended.

Previous PostNext Post

Filed Under: Breakfast, Fruit, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Savory

Previous Post: « Tangerine Lemon Curd
Next Post: Peanut Butter Pecan Biscotti »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bruce

    November 13, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    Oh.. and if you want to kick up your grits a notch or 2, use chicken stock instead of water when preparing the grits (polenta). Add a splash of cream just before serving to increase the creaminess.. yum!
    I particularly love my grits prepared with chicken stock, adding finely chopped garlic at the beginning, and then extra sharp cheddar at the end.. Garlic cheesy grits (polenta) makes for an awesome breakfast. Just add some shrimp or sausage for extra savory grits

    Reply
  2. Bruce

    November 13, 2016 at 1:46 pm

    No offense, but breakfast polenta is grits. Grits…not romantic, not cool, not provincial, not continental.
    I guess we could call grits and shrimp something else, like: Polenta and shrimp. There…that sounds so much better.

    Reply
« Older Comments
Comments Page 12 of 12
« Previous 1 … 10 11 12

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS IN Breakfast

Baked peach scones stacked with butter.
Easy Peaches and Cream Scones

Friends, hi!  I’m sneaking into your summer weekend with a simple offering: peach scones. There’s not a fussy bit about this invitation.  I simply cannot bear formalities (or bras or any clothing that touches my body) this time of year.  The offering is to take a single ripe peach (you likely have one languishing in…

Read More

Gluten-Free Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

It was supposed to rain last Wednesday, as it’s always supposed to rain every summer afternoon down south.  The rain is a welcome relief to the blanket of humidity we lie under unless, of course, you planned to be outside picking blueberries during said torrential downpour.  I’ve quickly learned to just get out in the…

Read More

Glazed small batch muffin recipe on wire rack.
Small Batch Muffin Recipe: Lemon Poppy Seed

I could argue that the very foundation of Joy the Baker is this recipe for Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins. Taking it aaaalll the way back to 2009 when I stumbled upon the wonder’s of browned butter and juicy baked blueberries.  You loved them. I loved them so much they made it into my first cookbook…

Read More

Primary Sidebar

Fresh baked emails, delivered to your inbox

Jump to Recipe

Receive recipes from Joy the Baker and updates on events at The Bakehouse.

HI! I’M JOY!

Jump to Recipe

Welcome! This has been my little corner of the internet since 2008!

I’m a baker, photographer, cookbook author and teacher.  I live laugh love in New Orleans. 

MORE ABOUT JOY AND THE TEAM

BOOKS + Magazines

Jump to Recipe

JOY THE BAKER 2022 SUMMER MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2021 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

JOY THE BAKER 2020 HOLIDAY MAGAZINE

HOMEMADE DECADENCE

OVER EASY: SWEET AND SAVORY RECIPES FOR LEISURELY DAYS COOKBOOK

JOY THE BAKER COOKBOOK

Jump to Recipe

Joy the baker with dyed bandana around neck

HOW TO MAKE DYED BANDANAS

as seen in JtB Magazine!

Jump to Recipe
joy the baker on facebook joy the baker on twitter pinterest-social instagram-socialbloglovin-social

JOY @ WILLIAMS SONOMA

Jump to Recipe

SHOP THE CAKE LINE OF CAKE MIXES!

DRAKE ON CAKE

Jump to Recipe

Passionate from miles away since 2015.

Check it out on Instagram

Drake on cake instagram.

 

FAVORITE FRUIT RECIPES

Baked peach scones stacked with butter.

Easy Peaches and Cream Scones

Gluten-Free Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

POPULAR CAKES

strawberry sheet cake on a plate with strawberries on top.

My Favorite Super Easy Strawberry Sheet Cake

Slice of coconut cake on small white plate with coffee.

My favorite Coconut Cake is actually made with cake mix

A slice of lemon blueberry gooey butter cake held on a cake slicer.

Lemon Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake

Footer

Instagram

joythebaker

📚Baker and author of books and magazines
🎂Creator @drakeoncake
💁🏻‍♀️Classes with me @thebakehousenola
🍰 Products with @williamssonoma

joythebaker
I made @mississippivegan my favorite Paloma cockta I made @mississippivegan my favorite Paloma cocktail last night! Here’s how to make your own batch.

Palomas for Two 
1 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup tequila blanco
A splash of Campari
6-8 ounces Fever Tree Grapefruit Soda
Fresh herbs for serving 
 
Mix everything in a jar and refrigerate. Serve over ice with fresh herbs. #paloma #summercocktails #joythebaker
4️⃣ ways to make a better BLT and you don’t 4️⃣ ways to make a better BLT and you don’t even need to be wearing pant. 
1. Bake the bacon with a sprinkle of brown sugar and cracked black pepper until crisp and caramelized. 
2. Slice tomatoes on a paper towel to remove excess water and, for all that is holy, season the tomatoes with sea salt.
3. Use butter lettuce you can replant for future butter lettuce.
4. You don’t like mayonnaise? Yea you do. Lots of it.
If the question is, what am I baking this weekend? If the question is, what am I baking this weekend? The answer is: 🍋🫐 Gooey Butter Cake.
He has no idea how swoony I get when he saves me a He has no idea how swoony I get when he saves me a seat at breakfast or moves me to the inside of the sidewalk for safety. What a thrill to have absolutely no chill whatsoever. Happy August, friends. I hope you’re hydrated and in stupid love.
Your weekend baking sorted! 🫠 Just add peanut b Your weekend baking sorted! 🫠 Just add peanut butter and marshmallows to the grocery list. ⁣
⁣
Also, if you snuck some 🍫🍫 in with the marshmallow you’d have a lil peanut butter cookie s’more and no one would be mad. ⁣
⁣
Recipe linked in the profile! xo.
Our no-bake, 🍒🍋 dreams come true thanks to @ Our no-bake, 🍒🍋 dreams come true thanks to @theboywhobakes! ⁣
⁣
This perfect summer recipe is linked in the profile! xo
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Joy the Baker
All rights reserved. Violators will be whupped and sent to bed with no dessert · Privacy Policy

Scroll Up