Orange and Polenta Biscuits

There are certain ingredients out there that I possess a certain amount of trepidation towards, sometimes because they just utterly intimidate me, and most times because I have had a bad experience with them. As some of you may know I am rather terrified of yeast; not so its actual appearance, but just the thought of working with it conjures up all the former yeast-baking blunders that have occurred in my kitchen.

The same goes for polenta. I love the look and feel of polenta, its sunny yellow colour and the way the small grains delicately course through your fingers when you pick up a handful. However, I have distanced myself from this wonderful ingredient for fear that another recipe involving it will fail. After already two failed attempts I was ready to relinquish all my culinary self-worth to its cruel clutches.

After effectively avoiding polenta at all costs, I was prepared to give it another chance. Thus far, almost all cooking I have attempted have had some measure of success. With the exception of polenta, where it appeared every attempt was thwarted by some unseen kitchen voodoo of some sort that would render my polenta hard and devoid of taste.

Well for whatever reason, the polenta curse is broken; I have found the polenta recipe. Needless to say it didn’t involved standing over the stove vigilantly stirring the polenta until it reached the perfect consistency. The recipe is for Orange and Polenta Biscuits from Jamie Oliver’s, The Return of The Naked Chef. I cannot express in words how divinely beautiful the batter smelt. The combination of orange zest, butter and sugar created an intoxicating citrus bouquet. When the biscuits came out, they were perfect mounds of tangy crunchiness. The edges were a crisp golden brown and I had to stop myself from grabbing a handful and shoving them into my mouth.

It was without doubt, different to any other biscuit I have tasted and without the inclusion of polenta it would not have its unique taste and texture. The polenta gave the biscuits that extra crunch while the orange zest gave a flavourful tang in your palate.

A hundred and ten mouth-watering biscuits later, I think it is fair to announce that the polenta curse is now officially broken.