Crab & Polenta Bruschetta

As you probably know, my family before-me loved polenta and they still do. So this recipe caught my attention, and then we bought the items and yesterday we made it! I loved it & the staff did too! :) Feel free to substitute ready-to-eat-polenta if you'd like. Slice it into rounds (as it looks like a round log) grill, and then top with crab salad. Actually - the whole recipe could all be store-bought-ready-to-eat! However, I doubt that it would taste as great IMHO! ;) CuisineAtHome, Issue #78, December 2009.Total cooking & prep time = 1 hr + chilling.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Yields: 32 Polenta Triangles

Ingredients

• FOR THE POLENTA

• 4  cups water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1  cup  polenta cornmeal
• 1⁄8 cup  grated fresh parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons heavy cream
• 1  tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1  teaspoon Tabasco sauce, divided (or any other hot sauce you choose)
•  extra virgin olive oil
•  extra-virgin olive oil flavored cooking spray

• FOR THE CRAB SALAD

• 1⁄2 cup  seeded and finely diced roma tomato
• 1⁄8-1⁄4 cup  sliced scallion (we used green onions, they were nicer)
• 1  tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1  tablespoon sour cream
• 1  tablespoon fresh lime juice (not the bottled kind, please!)
• 7  ounces lump crabmeat (can use canned, we used from the deli)

Directions

1. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray; set aside.
2. MAKE THE POLENTA:
3. Combine water and salt in a saucepan over high heat.
4. Slowly whisk in cornmeal, reduce heat to low, and simmer whisking constantly, until polenta is thick and smooth, 10 minutes.(My grandmother taught me to do it with a wooden spoon!).
5. Remove polenta from heat; add Parmesan, cream, butter, and 1/2 tsp (or more) Tabasco, whisking until butter melts. (Toppings stay on the polenta better if it's smoothed a bit before chilling - use an offset spatula or a spoon.).
6. Spread polenta in the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill 2 hours or overnight.
7. Preheat a grill pan over high heat or preheat broiler to low.
8. Turn chilled polenta out of pan; cut into 16 squares and brush with olive oil.
9. Place polenta squares in grill pan and grill for 8-10 minutes or place polenta squares on broiler pan and broil until lightly browned.(When char marks are visible on the polenta edges, use a sturdy spatual to release it from the grill pan.).
10. Cut squares into triangles.
11. MAKE THE CRAB SALAD:
12. Combine tomatoes, scallions, maynnaise, sour cream, lime juice and the remaining Tabasco for the salad in a bowl until blended.
13. Gently stir in crabmeat with a fork to coat with dressing.
14. To serve, top each polenta triangle with 1 teaspoon crab salad.