Paste di Meliga (Polenta Biscuits)
Photography by Josh Griggs.
Polenta is a staple of the cuisine of Italy's Piedmont region. The chocolate and sea salt are not traditional but make for a very satisfying crunchy, sweet and delicately salty biscuit.
INGREDIENTS
75 grams white sugar
75 grams brown sugar
225 grams fine instant polenta
100 grams flour
150 grams butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, size 7
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150 grams bitter dark chocolate, 70 per cent cocoa solids, roughly chopped
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
METHOD
Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Using your hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until they reach breadcrumb consistency. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir together to form a soft dough.
Using your hands, tear off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Place balls of dough on to baking trays and press down gently with your hands or a fork to flatten. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until golden around the edges and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While biscuits are cooling, place the chocolate in a small bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the base touch the water) and leave to melt, stirring occasionally.
Dip cooled biscuits into melted chocolate until they are half submerged, then place on a baking paper-lined plate. Sprinkle with sea salt and cool in the refrigerator until chocolate has set.
Store biscuits in an airtight container in the fridge to avoid the chocolate exterior melting. Makes about 17 biscuits.
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