Blueberry, Polenta and connections

It's been so long since I've updated this blog, and yet lots of music and cooking has happened. I've even taken the pictures to use for this blog. 

Morello Cherries for a cheesecake

I've returned to this blog simply because I was talking to an old friend I haven't seen for years who runs, with her partners, a community project which includes a cafe -The Bank @ Eye

This lovely lady reminded me of the joy of sharing my recipes and of baking for others to enjoy. I've been reading many blogs and many new recipe books and cooking up a great deal, and talking to old and new friends and realizing the great connections that come into being when positivity and love are projected. 

 I have been reading David Spangler's book - Apprenticed to Spirit - " It was like sitting on a dock with my legs dangling in the water, experiencing two different environments at the same time. I had the sense of being in two places at once, of being two different yet related kinds of consciousness."


I have always loved to explore strange, complex or downright weird alliances, connections and pairings - and reading Smitten Kitchen's Blog which I enjoyed so much I bought the cookbook. Theoretically I could just print off the recipe, but sometimes it is holding the book and checking the recipe that helps when getting creative. That's why e-books dont' really appeal, because the physical connection of hand to page and book is not something I wish to give up. 

So I've already cooked 4 recipes from the book within a week of receiving it, but the blueberry recipe has been made several times simply because when I am inspired to bake, the ingredients I have match the following recipe.

Of course there are the times when I suddenly remember that 6 handbell ringers are turning up the next morning and a cake will be required. The old faves still apply because there is always chocolate in the cupboard - and then the idea of blueberries bursting their goodness in a buttery, crumbly cake always pulls me towards a relatively quick bake.

Today was one of those days when the blueberries were calling me to the kitchen and the recipe came to mind along with the music of inspiration.

Ingredients

115g unsalted butter at room temperature plus more for pan (I use salted and still add the salt)
200g Sugar (I use a mix of soft brown and natural caster sugar)
60g Polenta ( I use the fine one - but  not masa harina cos you need the crunch)
125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting pan (I used white spelt)
2 teaspoons baking powder (If you are using spelt, then add an extra teaspoon)
1/2 Teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs
1/4 Teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 Teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (I use orange zest)
200g blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
80g soured cream (I used creme fraiche and yoghurt mixed with a little milk)

Topping
100 g sugar ( I use a little less cos otherwise too sweet)
6 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons polenta
1/4 teaspoon ground cinammon
pinch table salt
30g butter, cut into small pieces

Dry Ingredients whisked together

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ Gas Mark 4. Line bottom of a 20 cm pan with parchment, and then butter and dust with flour. You can use non stick spray (olive oil in a can). The tin doesn't have to be square as I have baked in an round tin, but it does come out better in the square tin.

Creme Fraiche (Soured Cream)

1. Put flour, polenta, baking powder, & salt in a bowl and whisk together by hand until it is all mixed. There is nothing worse than a mouthful of baking powder.

Butter and Sugar

2. Using an electric mixer (handheld if you wish)beat the butter and sugar together until pale & fluffy - which will take at least 2 -3 minutes. This helps the lift so it is important to make sure it is really pale. 

Prepared Cake Pan

3 Add each egg separately and beat thoroughly to combine after each addition. Scrape down mixture from the side of the bowl too.

4. Add the vanilla extract and zest and whisk to combine.

halfway through the mix

5. Add a third of the flour and beat until combined, add all of the soured cream  and another third of the flour and beat again until combined. Add blueberries to remaining third of flour and add this to cake batter and fold in gently with spatula or wooden spoon.

6. Spread cake batter into prepared cake tin, and then prepare your streusal/crumble topping.

7. You can use yoru dry ingredients bowl again. Put the dry ingredients in and then use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Sprinkle this mixture across the top of the cake batter and then put into the oven.

Crumble mix

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, and then run spatula or knife around the edge of the pan and flip out onto a cooling rack.

cooked cake

10. You can eat this with coffee, or serve as a dessert as I did with a creme fraiche, 0% fat greek yoghurt mix.

Blueberry Polenta crumble cake - my version

And of course below is apparently what it should look like - because although I coated the bluerries in the flour, they did all sink to the bottom.

The music of cooking and inspiration was of course an eclectic mix of flamenco and old school Jimi Hendrix

Miguel Poveda - Flamenco 

Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix 

Change is gonna Come - Otis Redding