I have made various shapes and spice/cheese/spread variations of these over the past few weeks, so much so that L. has asked if I wouldn't mind changing up my routine as he is bored with polenta, no matter how much I vary the options. The thing is, these are fairly easy to make and look impressive, which is always a good thing when dealing with holiday entertainment. That being said, I would hate to be thought of as boring in my cooking, so I just took a look back at my canapes ideas from last year to see if there were any that looked appealing. Here is the list, should you be looking for inspiration as well.
You can flavor these with any herb or spice that makes sense to you and serve it with the spread of your choice. The ones above were cut into stars, flavored with oregano, rolled in Parmesan and served with a stored bought tomato chutney that I was given as a gift. L.'s favorite version of these was za'atar flavored polenta, served topped with whipped feta cheese. Cranberry relish folded into creamy goat cheese makes a good topping as well.
Here is my base recipe which you can adapt for your own purposes. This recipe made 50 bite-sized stars.
1 cup polenta (not instant as you want some texture in the mix)
3 cups water or stock
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh herb of your choice
4 Tbsps butter
If using cheese, about 1/2 cup finely grated cheese of your choice
Put the water, salt and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
As soon as the water has boiled, add the herb and the polenta. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring VERY often, until the polenta is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and is thick, with all liquid absorbed. Mix in the grated cheese (if using) after 5 minute cooking time and blend in well as cheese melts.
Spoon the polenta onto a baking tray lined with a well-oiled piece of parchment paper. Level off to make sure that the top is even and the mixture is the same thickness throughout. Set aside to solidify for an hour.
After an hour, preheat your oven to 400.
Cut shapes out using the cookie cutter of your choice or a small glass. Lay all of these on a baking sheet, again lined with a well oiled piece of parchment paper.
When all of the shapes have been cut out and lined up on the baking tin, brush the tops of the polenta shapes with a bit of oil.
Put the baking tin in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the polenta shapes over (hello kitchen tongs) and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the oven. If using Parmesan, now would be the time to sprinkle it liberally over the Parmesan shapes.
Serve at room temperature.
The leftover bits of polenta can be broken into bite-sized bits, cooked in a little butter until crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside and served with your favorite pasta sauce or as a side dish with stew.