Petits Fours, in French, means "small ovens" but they actually are little fancy pastries or cookies served after an elegant meal or for an afternoon tea. The wholegrain polenta and almond meal in these delightful pastries blend beautifully with the rich extra virgin olive oil and fresh orange juice and give it a Mediterranean Middle Eastern flair. Their rich sweetness and ... Read More »
Peach Almond Polenta Squares
This little dessert or afternoon tea pastry is just perfect on a beautiful summer day when peaches are in season, and are sweet, ripe and juicy! They are a cross between my Peach Flat Cake and my Orange Polenta Petits Fours. The mixture of ground almonds and stone-ground polenta gives these Peach Almond Polenta Squares a unique texture and flavor that blends so nicely with ... Read More »
Chickpea Calentica
Chickpea Calentica is the garbanzo bean or chickpea flour version of cornmeal polenta. It is such a wonderful, nutritious, protein-filled go-to simple "base" to use with any topping you'd like! Originally, Calentica was one of those street food sold in the streets in my family's hometown of Oran, in Algeria. It was cheap, easy to make and could feed and delight a hungry ... Read More »