Sweet Mascarpone Polenta

One of my favorite memories as a child is my grandmother making me mamaliga, a romanian dish. It is very similar to polenta but since I can't find the real mamaliga in the states, polenta will just have to suffice. I will definitely post a mamaliga dish just like my grandmother made it. She would pour the "polenta" on to a big plate and make a big pile. Then comes the butter. Then comes the cottage cheese. And, if I was lucky I would get a fried egg on top! It was hot and creamy but mixed with the cool cottage cheese, amazing. I would normally eat it for lunch or dinner... ah the joys of breakfast at any time of day...

With this polenta, I decided to make it a little different. I like polenta served as a bed for fish, meat or greens but then I thought, why can't it be for dessert? (I also really wanted to use these new blue dessert cups I bought at the thrift store! Aren't they pretty?) So, to sweeten up the deal I mixed in some creamy mascarpone cheese and topped it with a dollop of strawberry preserves. It came out so creamy and delicious. This is yet another way to pretend to bake for an easy dessert, just like my roasted plum dessert!! Sweet!

Sweet Mascarpone Polenta

2 cups polenta

1 tablespoon mascarpone

splash of milk

1 Cook polenta according to directions in a medium saucepan and stir in milk, then mascarpone until creamy.

2 Serve with jam or preserves for dessert.