Sear + Sea Woodfire Grill is the wonderful new(ish) steak and seafood restaurant at the JW Marriott Bonnet Creek resort. Melissa Sallman is the hotel’s new executive chef and oversees the restaurant. There may be some small changes coming with the menu but you can probably count on this polenta side dish staying on.
Of course, another word for polenta is grits, so when I made the recipe following Sallman’s instructions in the Scott’s Kitchen video below, I grilled up some shrimp to go along with it for my own version of shrimp and grits. Cheesy grits/polenta, too, thanks to both parmesan and goat cheese.
Watch the video then give the recipe a try. And be sure to visit Sear + Sea to sample the polenta with one of their steaks – or maybe some shrimp.
Polenta from Sear + Sea Woodfire Grill
For The Polenta
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup polenta
½ cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt to taste
For the garnish
1 tablespoon crumbled goat cheese
1 teaspoon freshly cut chives
1 ear corn on the cob
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
In a medium sauce pan on high heat bring the milk and cream to simmer.
Lower the temperature to very low heat and slowly whisk in the polenta to prevent any lumps.
Continue whisking the polenta until it has thickened. Cover the pot and allow the polenta to cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes until the polenta is creamy and the grains are fully cooked.
Season the polenta with the parmesan cheese, butter and salt.
Remove the husk from the ear of corn and cut the cob in half. Stand the cob on its end and slice the kernels off. Sautee the kernels in a skillet with olive oil over medium heat.
Alternately, heat a grill to medium high heat. Cook the corn still on the cob on the grill until the kernels are tender and slightly charred.
Allow the corn to cool slightly, then stand the corn up vertically and run a knife along the cob to create corn in “planks.”
To serve, portion the polenta in a warmed bowl. Top the polenta with the crumbled goat cheese, corn kernels (or charred corn planks) and chives. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
