Sweet Polenta with California Prune Compote

Prune It is a healthy eating campaign designed to educate consumers to understand the role that California Prunes can play in helping to help reduce the fat and sugar content across a wide range of recipes.  When blended into a puree, prunes offer a useful fat replacer in cooking by adding fat-like (but fat-free) characteristics that also work to enhance the flavours in both sweet and savoury dishes.  In addition, the naturally occurring sugars present in California Prunes can also be used to provide a natural replacement for some of the processed sugars that traditionally feature in sweet recipes.  And because of their high fibre content and ability to add bulk to dishes, California Prunes also have a role to play in reducing portion size without compromising on filling power or taste.

Makes: 4Prep Time: 30 minutes including cooking
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INGREDIENTS

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  • For the polenta:
  • 200g polenta
  • 100ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch mixed spice
  • 2 tbsp California Prune Juice
  • 2 egg whites
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 15g butter or oil
  • For the compote:
  • 180g California Prunes
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 75ml California Prune juice
  • 75ml water

DIRECTIONS

  1. Place the polenta, milk, orange zest and spices into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously.
  2. Cook for 8 minutes. Line a small roasting tine with cling film or baking parchment and pour in the polenta mix. Allow to cool and set in the fridge.
  3. Lightly beat the egg whites in a shallow dish.
  4. Mix the cinnamon and sugar and add to a second shallow dish.
  5. Once the polenta is set, cut it into 8 ‘toast’ triangles and brush each triangle with egg white. Coat each triangle in the sugar mix. Melt the butter and pan fry in a non-stick pan for 1 minute on each side until golden.
  6. Make the compote (this can be done the day before to allow the flavours to infuse and for the liquid to soak into the prunes). Place the California Prunes, orange zest and cinnamon stick into a small saucepan. Cover with the California Prune juice / water and allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover with cling film and allow to cool.
  7. Serve the pan-fried polenta with the compote.