Kiss My Grits (and Polenta, Too)

The two cornmeal-based staples offer chefs versatile foil for flavors of all kinds at breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert.

By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 3/17/2008

Craftsteak in New York City lists more than two-dozen side dishes on its sweeping menu. Sitting comfortably in the lineup among more-likely suspects such as fried onion rings and sautéed Swiss chard are cheese grits topped with red wine-poached egg.

That the Southern staple is right at home amid Chef-owner Tom Colicchio’s glitzy steakhouse fare shows just how far grits have come from their country roots. The same is true for polenta, their Italian cousin. Both preparations of what is essentially boiled cornmeal —made from regular dried kernels for polenta and typically, dried hominy for grits—are cropping up on menus across the country in preparations homey and higher end. A natural fit for menus in virtually every daypart, they’re simple to prepare and inexpensive to buy.

“It’s so versatile,” Chef-owner Nadia Tilkian says of the polenta she menus at Maijean, an upscale bistro in Clarendon Hills, Ill. “You can make it firm and fry it, or you can make it really creamy. And you can flavor it with so many things.”

Tilkian’s current menu pairs a creamy herbed version with hearty roasted rabbit. She cooks the polenta in chicken stock, then stirs in heavy cream, parmesan cheese and an herb blend of thyme, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and oregano. To complement other recipes, she might mix in goat cheese, mascarpone, sun-dried tomatoes or bacon.

Sometimes, the polenta comes in seared cakes instead. Less stock and cream make a stiffer mixture that is more easily spread in a sheet pan, cooled, cut into circles and sautéed in clarified butter. Every step can be done ahead except for the frying, Tilkian notes. The finely ground cornmeal also shows up at Maijean in desserts such as a berry crostada.

Ford Fry, chef-owner at JCT.Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta, says he sees chefs using grits in much the same manner as polenta on menus, and not just in the South, either.

“Maybe it’s about going back to comfort food,” he says, “and chefs can still do their own thing with it to be more creative.”

On the menu, Fry finishes locally sourced grits (made from organic corn) with truffle oil to accompany sautéed shrimp. For a side option, he tops them with egg poached in veal jus.

Typically, grits at JCT.Kitchen are cooked in shrimp or chicken stock, depending on what they will accompany, with garlic, shallots, butter and cream. Because they can take an hour or more to prepare, the grits are made in large batches ahead of service and finished to order with a little stock, mascarpone, crème fraiche or heavy cream.

More Menu Ideas

Jeremy Sabo, executive chef at South restaurant in Raleigh, N.C., sometimes serves grits cakes garnished with pickled shrimp as hors d’oeuvres for events. He’ll often add extra cheese and fold in an egg to help bind the mixture if it’s too thin. The grits are cooled in a sheet pan overnight with another pan on top to press them down, then cut, floured and pan-fried.

At Nuevo Latino-restaurant OBA in Portland, Ore., Executive Chef Scott Neuman pairs rotisserie-roasted chicken with green chile-spiked polenta, while Chef Paul Miranda at Honu Kitchen & Cocktails in Huntington, N.Y., stirs up grits with whole milk, sour cream, sharp Cheddar cheese and roasted garlic purée to escort roasted duck breasts in hoisin-chile sauce.

Lighter entrées also welcome grits and polenta. Crawfish- and sweet corn-studded grits provide a creamy foundation for crab-crusted kampachi at La Pomme Rouge in Chicago, and grilled saffron polenta has accompanied seared sturgeon and steamed asparagus at Go Fish in Dallas.

More-inventive applications abound, as well. Corporate Executive Chef-Owner Brandt Evans uses polenta to coat calamari for a crisp-fried finish at Twinsburg, Ohio-based Blue Canyon Restaurant & Tavern, while polenta croutons add crunch to arugula salad with red grapes, pecans, goat cheese and white balsamic vinaigrette at George Martin’s Coastal Grill in Long Beach, N.Y. Polenta fries come with rich gorgonzola sauce for dipping at Aspen in New York City, while at The Lazy Goat in Greenville, S.C., they’re accompanied by melted manchego cheese and house-made ketchup.