Easy Cornmeal Budino with Blueberry Marmellata

This simple dessert is perfect for al fresco dining.  It is elegant enough for a dinner party and simple enough for just because.  If you haven't tried cornmeal pudding yet, you really should! 

      What I am about to share with you my husband rated a 9 out of 10.  And that's really saying something considering he is more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy and this is neither meat nor potatoes!  So I am really excited to share it with you.


     The funny thing is at first glance it really isn't the most summery  recipe.  It really isn't the corniest (I know, I know, it's not the best grammar but sometimes you just have to roll with it) recipe either.  But I saw the final call go out for posts for this Sunday Supper event and I panicked!

      We love more traditional summer corn recipes.  Corn on the cob never goes out of style, frozen corn is always in our freezer, we love corn dip, creamy corn, corn casserole, heck we'll even put corn in our macaroni and cheese.  But I was under the gun and I had to make a choice.  I am really glad I made this one.  I think you will agree that when you look at it with a wide lens, it really is a perfect summer corn recipe after all!

      I had just seen a recipe for a polenta budino over at The Frugal Hausfrau.  It was perfect!  I always love trying a new dessert, no news there.  But even better, I could tweek her recipe to make it with ingredients I have on hand.  I don't know about you, but not having to run to the store to put something together gets it major bonus points in my book.

     Plus the whole thing comes together in a few minutes on the stove top.  You make it ahead and then put it in the refrigerator until it is time to serve.  No oven needed.  No last minute sweating over the hot stove.  That is my favorite way to entertain in the summer.  So, I knew I had to make it!

    Now I know I just said I had everything on hand.  That is a bit of a fudge.  I did not have polenta, but I did have cornmeal.  I did not have plums, but I have been buying a few pints of blueberries every time I go to the store lately.  So I had everything on hand to make my version of her dessert.  That is one of my favorite things about cooking.  There are so many ways you can adapt and change any given recipe.  Her version looked delicious and I can tell you this version is too!

      Budino is more or less a cornmeal pudding.  If you like a texture in your pudding like tapioca or rice pudding, you are half way there.  Of course the texture of cornmeal is different than those.  Matt described it as a being like a sweet and creamy malt-o-meal.  It is just sweet and creamy enough to make it a dessert rather than a porridge.

     The blueberry marmellata is basically a quick blueberry sauce.  Served cold it is thick and syrupy, perfect for topping your pudding.  The two come together to make a really great dessert.

    It would be the perfect ending to a big Italian meal any time of year.  It would also be an elegant dessert to finish an al fresco dining experience.  Just a little something sweet and not to heavy.  Just that little something to tie the meal up with a nice little creamy blueberry bow and send you off to sweet dream land.

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Easy Cornmeal Budino with Blueberry Marmellata

by Cooking With Carlee August-7-2016

Ingredients

For the Budino:

• 1/2 cup cornmeal or polenta
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 T butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk

For the Blueberry Marmellata:

• 1 pint blueberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 T lemon juice
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. For budino: In a large saucepan, bring two cups of water to a boil. Gradually add polenta or cornmeal while vigorously whisking. Continue to whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook and whisk until thickened, this should just take a few minutes. Stir in sugar, brown sugar and salt. Keep cooking over low heat and stirring frequently until the mixture thickens again and the cornmeal is softened. This only took me about 15 minutes, but polenta may take as much as 25. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. In a small bowl, mix together egg and milk. Vigorously beat egg mixture into hot cornmeal mixture. Spoon into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding and refrigerate until ready to serve.2. For the marmellata: Bring 3/4 of the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice to a boil over medium heat stirring frequently. Immediately drop heat to low and continue to cook, simmer and stir until berries are popped and the mixture is thickened. This should take about 10 minutes. Stir in the rest of the berries. Remove from heat, cover and chill. 3. To serve, stir budino to loosen it. Spoon into serving dishes. Top with blueberry marmellata and serve.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: Serves 4