This recipe makes A LOT of polenta and eggs! You have been warned.

The reipe as written calls for 8 eggs, but I really felt like that would be way too much polenta for the amount of egg. And we had a lot of eggs to use up, so I did it with a full dozen eggs. I think this produced an excellent egg-to-polenta ratio, but it does mean that you have rather a lot of baked eggs to eat. I suggest making them in individual ramekins so that leftovers can be easily reheated in individual portions.

Also, the recipe says that these are to be served with buttered toast. But, since the polenta already provides a nice, slightly buttery, cheesey, starchy backdrop for the eggs, I skipped the toast. I like them much better with a bit of tomato salsa or marinara sauce on top. Delicious!

Eggs Baked in Polenta

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 6 c. water
• 1 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. milk
• 2-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3-1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 12 large eggs
• 150g Taleggio or fontina¹, shredded
• salsa or tomato sauce, to serve

Directions

1. Add the cornmeal and salt to the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 25-30 minutes.
3. Add milk and butter and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Stir in the Parmesan and nutmeg.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease 12 ramekins or mini casserole dishes.
6. Divide the polenta among the the ramekins.
7. Make an indentation in the centre of each portion of polenta.
8. Break an egg into a cup and pour it into one of the indentations. Repeat with remaining eggs.
9. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the eggs.
10. Bake until polenta is golden around the edges and eggs are soft-cooked (~15 minutes).
11. Let stand for 3 minutes.
12. Top with salsa and/or tomato sauce and serve.

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¹ My fontina had gone off, so I just ended up using some mild marble cheddar for this go 'round. ^Back