Creamy Polenta & Mushroom Sauce

Here's a meal inspired by Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Made.  Scott Conant really sold me on his creamy polenta with fricassee of truffled mushrooms, which wasn't hard because I'm a sucker for mushrooms.

I tried following as close as possible his instructions to cook the polenta (coarse ground) for a long time, which turned out to be 2 hours and not the suggested 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, mostly because I kept having to add liquid to thin out the mixture every time I opened the pot to stir.  Perhaps I wasn't doing it correctly...?  The result seemed a bit thick compared to his Scott's version.  Maybe we'll have to visit his restaurant and try it out for ourselves to know what it should taste like. 

As for the mushrooms, I made some changes.  First, since I didn't have hours, the materials, and the patience to make the chicken stock, I used liquid beef stock in a tube.  I also used a little mushroom stock made from stems of the mushrooms I used, which included honjimeshi, shitake, and baby bella.  Next, I didn't get around to buying preserved truffles or truffle oil, so I just skipped that ingredient entirely.  Last, because I can't get enough of it, I added about a half cup of ruby port in addition to the stock, which gave it a sweet profile.  This might not be for you, but we loved it.  I would have used more types of mushrooms but had to refrain from going overboard. 

The other parts of the meal included a salad and garlic shrimp.  The salad had roasted beets, tomatoes, blueberries, and mozzarella cheese balls with a balsamic/olive oil dressing--very light and refreshing.  I like the pearl-sized ones since it's the perfect bite size so you can skip cutting up a large hunk of cheese.  The other was quick and easy garlic shrimp, sauteed in olive oil.  Start by heating garlic and a few chili pepper flakes until the garlic starts to get crispy brown, then add the shrimp.  Be sure to pat the shrimp dry to get a good sear on the sides.   

I am not sure I would make this (the polenta part) again, simply because of the labor versus the payoff (not kudos or any comment from the hubby).  There was a mushroom rice dish that I made a few weeks ago that got a great reaction from him, so I am going to stick with that.  My sister suggested crisping the leftover polenta on the skillet, like hash browns.  I would, however, make that mushroom sauce to go with every thing I can think of.