Grilled Blueberry Polenta with Warm Honey Butter Glaze

This is a brilliant one for a lazy weekend morning when you want something a little different from the grill. Creamy polenta, set overnight and sliced into golden slabs, gets a quick sear on the gas grill until it's crisp and caramelised on the outside and pillowy soft within. Top it with a handful of fresh blueberries and a warm honey butter glaze and you've got a breakfast worth getting up for. It also works beautifully as a brunch centrepiece if you're feeding a crowd — scale it up, keep the polenta warm on the top rack, and let everyone help themselves.

Ingredients

For the polenta

• 200g coarse polenta (cornmeal)
• 800ml whole milk
• 400ml water
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 30g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Neutral oil (rapeseed or sunflower), for grilling

For the blueberry topping

• 300g fresh blueberries
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the honey butter glaze

• 50g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• Pinch of fine salt

Method

1. Make the polenta the day before (or at least 4 hours ahead). Pour the milk and water into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat on the hob. Gradually whisk in the polenta in a steady stream to prevent lumps. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 20–25 minutes until thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Stir in the butter, honey, vanilla and salt.
2. Pour the cooked polenta into a lightly oiled 20x30cm baking tray or similar, spreading it to about 2.5cm deep. Smooth the top, leave to cool for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate until fully set — at least 3 hours or overnight. Once set, it should feel firm and slice cleanly.
3. Make the blueberry compote. Tip the blueberries into a small saucepan with the caster sugar, lemon zest and juice. Cook over a low–medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened and released their juices and the mixture has thickened slightly. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Preheat your Bull gas grill to a medium–high heat — around 200–220°C at the grates. Clean the grates well and oil them lightly just before cooking.
5. Turn the set polenta out onto a board and slice into portions — rectangles or triangles both work well, roughly 8x10cm. Brush both sides with rapeseed oil.
6. Place the polenta slabs directly on the oiled grates. Grill for 3–4 minutes per side without moving them, until golden grill marks appear and the outside is lightly crisp. They're more delicate than meat so use a wide spatula and be gentle when turning.
7. Make the honey butter glaze. While the polenta grills, melt the butter in a small saucepan or in a heatproof bowl set to the side of the grill. Stir in the honey and a pinch of salt until smooth and glossy.
8. Transfer the grilled polenta to plates or a warm serving platter. Spoon the warm blueberry compote generously over the top, then drizzle with the honey butter glaze. Serve immediately.

Originally published by Bull BBQ. Adapted for UK audiences by Cedar Kitchen in the Garden.