serves four

Ingredients

Polenta:
2 c heavy cream
2 c milk
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
2/3 c cornmeal, preferably coarse ground
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp freshly-grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tsp chopped fresh chives (optional)

Fricassee of Mushrooms:
1/4 c olive oil
2 medium shallots, thinly-sliced
2 c sliced or cut into naturally occuring pieces of mixed domestic and wild mushrooms
1/2 c reduced chicken broth
Creamy polenta (see above)
1 Tbsp snipped fresh chives
1/2 tsp white truffle oil

Method

For the polenta: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the cream and milk over medium-high heat until small bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Add the salt and whisk the cream and milk until quite frothy. Add the polenta and continue to whisk the mixture as it comes to a boil. Continue whisking for an additional 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan, and cook the polenta, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the cornmeal is completely cooked and quite tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Be patient; even if the polenta has thickened and seems ready after an hour, longer cooking will make it even better. As the polenta cooks, a skin will form on the bottom and sides of the pan (if you are not using a non-stick pan), which will give the polenta a slightly toasty flavor.

Just before serving, stir in the butter, Grana Padano, and chives, if using. The polenta should pour from the spoon as you serve it and will thicken as it cools. If necessary, you can thin the polenta with a little milk just before serving.

For the fricassee: In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they just begin to color on their edges. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released. Add the reduced chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a bubbling simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. You can prepare the mushrooms ahead up to this point, and reheat them over medium-high heat just before serving.

To serve: Portion the polenta into warm bowls. Just before serving, reheat the mushrooms if necessary. Toss the mushrooms with the chives and drizzle a little of the truffle oil over the mushrooms. Be careful not to cook the truffle oil for more than a few seconds, because the flavor and aroma dissipate quickly. Spoon some mushrooms and some of the cooking juices over each serving of polenta.