Because I’m not always in the mood to make a traditional pastry crust, this recipe for my spinach and scallion savory torte is fantastic.
Nothing beats the flakey rich taste of a traditional pastry crust, but sometimes, the fact is that I don’t always enjoy de-misting the fine layer of flour dust off my black counters. Not only that, but these days I try to shy away from things that are made with so much butter or fats. Using polenta as the base and layer of the torte not only is snap easy, it’s also so much more nutritionally rich than standard crust.
I really like the dense corn-y layer of polenta, it gives this dish a little more heft, making it a perfect dish for a Sunday Brunch, a luncheon or a light supper. And look how pretty! Because it’s also made with skim milk and light goat cheese, it’s not a bad thing to make for your lunch this week and pack off to work with you. Certainly this is far more appealing than that bologna sandwich you had in mind. {go ahead, make your co-workers jealous}
I don’t have any co-workers since I toil in solitude most days- but that’s about to change. I am juuuuuuuust about finished with all my school work, and just now tidying up all the loose ends for my graduation in May. These last 3 months have been nose to the grindstone (more like eyes squinting at my computer screen), and now I can finally start to ease up on the gas. My dear ol’ pal, Canon 5D, is back from the shop, better than ever. Soon I will be purchasing myself a delicious graduation gift- the new Canon 6D.
The new camera will have some bells and whistles that I am looking forward to playing with, but I also am looking forward to creating some videos in the near future. My older camera with be “Camera B”, and together I think my two babies and I can do some quick spots for you that I hope you’ll enjoy. So you see, I NEED both cameras. Anyway, fun stuff coming up, so stay tuned for that.
- 1 cup polenta or fine corn meal
- 3 cups of water
- .5 teaspoon salt
- 1 large bunch of fresh spinach leaves, about 6oz, washed
- 4 scallions, greens and whites, sliced thin
- 6 large eggs
- .5 cup skim milk
- .5 teaspoon salt
- .25 teaspoon pepper
- 2 ounces reduced fat goat cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare an 8" springform pan with cooking spray.
- In a large pot bring 3 cups of water to the boil. Stir water with a whisk to create a whirlpool and slowly stream in the polenta. Keep stirring as the polenta thickens for another 2-3 minutes.
- When the polenta is thick and starts to pull away from the pan, pour into the prepared springform pan.
- Using a spoon, spread the polenta evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan to the top. This will create the shell for the custard filling to rest in.
- Arrange the spinach leaves evenly, but without too much fuss, on the top of the polenta.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the milk, eggs, salt and pepper and whisk to thoroughly combine. Pour over the spinach, then sprinkle the scallions on top.
- Lastly, crumble the goat cheese in large chucks evenly over the top.
- Place the torte in the middle of the oven and bake until the center is set and springy to the touch. Mine took about 40 minutes.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan and serving.
- Enjoy!