Polenta with Asparagus, Peas, and Pecorino is a comforting, savory dish that combines the creamy texture of polenta with fresh vegetables like asparagus and peas, topped with the sharp, nutty flavor of Pecorino cheese. It’s a simple yet flavorful dish, perfect as a side or a main course.

What is Polenta with Asparagus?

Polenta is a dish made from ground cornmeal, often cooked into a creamy or firm texture, depending on the desired outcome. It’s a staple of Italian cuisine, typically served as a side or base for other ingredients. Polenta with asparagus combines this cornmeal base with the freshness of asparagus, a spring vegetable with a slightly earthy flavor. Asparagus pairs beautifully with polenta's mild taste, and the addition of peas and Pecorino cheese gives the dish extra flavor and richness. It’s a delightful and satisfying meal, especially during the spring and summer months when these vegetables are in season.

POLENTA WITH ASPARAGUS

Polenta with Asparagus, Peas, and Pecorino is a comforting, savory dish that combines the creamy texture of polenta with fresh vegetables like asparagus and peas, topped with the sharp, nutty flavor of Pecorino cheese.

Prep Time 10mins|Cook Time  35minutes| Total Time  45mins

Main Course

 Servings: 2

INGREDIENTS

• Polenta:
• 1 cup cornmeal (or polenta)
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• Salt, to taste
• ½ cup grated Pecorino cheese (optional for the polenta)

• Vegetables:

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

• For Garnish:

• ½ cup grated Pecorino cheese
• Fresh herbs (optional, such as parsley or basil)

INSTRUCTIONs

1. Prepare the Polenta:

   1. In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water or vegetable broth to a boil.

   2. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal (polenta), stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

   3. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, for about 20-30 minutes, until the polenta thickens and becomes creamy.

   4. Stir in the olive oil or butter and half of the Pecorino cheese (if using), then season with salt to taste. Keep warm.

2. Cook the Vegetables:

   1. While the polenta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

   2. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.

   3. Add the asparagus and cook for about 5-7 minutes until tender but still crisp. If the asparagus is thicker, you may need to cook a little longer.

   4. Add the peas and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Combine and Serve:

   1. Once the polenta is ready and the vegetables are cooked, spoon the polenta onto plates.

   2. Top with the sautéed asparagus and peas.

   3. Sprinkle with grated Pecorino cheese and any fresh herbs you like (optional).

   4. Serve immediately and enjoy

 The bold flavors and light textures are exactly what you need in the cold months. The juicy hazelnut base is filled with golden praline. A chocolate crunchy layer, strong chocolate mousse, fresh pears and an airy tonka ganache are wrapped in a hazelnut glaze.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

• A moist hazelnut cake
• Golden Hazelnut Praline
• A crispy crispy layer
• Dark, airy chocolate mousse
• A fresh pear layer
• Beautifully dressed tonka ganache
• A hazelnut rock glaze

Can you believe me that this cake is vegan?

What is praline?

Praline is a very special nut paste that is often used in patisserie. It consists of only 2 main ingredients: roasted nuts and caramelized sugar. Both are mixed until the nuts release their natural fat and the mixture becomes creamy.

Chocolate mousse cake with pears

The pear compote in the middle of the chocolate mousse is frozen in a silicone mold with a diameter of 13.7cm. Unlike fruit compote for cakes or pastries, it is important to use pectin NH as a binder for this pear filler. In contrast to cornstarch or agar-agar, this has the ability to be frozen and thawed again without losing its stability and binding and thus preventing water from escaping.

It is important to mix the pectin NH with a small amount of sugar before adding it to the other ingredients to avoid lumps. In addition, the pectin must reach a temperature of at least 80°C to be activated.

If you don't have the appropriate silicone mold, you could draw a circle with the appropriate diameter on a firm base of baking paper and place the compote inside the circle. Just make sure that the compote doesn't go too far over the edges. Then cover the surface with foil and freeze the pear filler in this way.

The rock glaze

This type of chocolate glaze consists of chocolate, vegetable oil and usually chopped nuts. The vegetable oil makes the chocolate layer a little softer, which makes it easier to cut.

The production is simple: Melt the chocolate, add the vegetable oil and stir until smooth. Finally, stir in the chopped nuts, let the glaze cool to 30-35°C and then coat the cake. In order for the icing to stick nicely to the cake, it is important that it is refrigerated (30 minutes in the fridge is enough!).

Tip: When glazing, I line a large bowl with aluminum foil, place a cooling rack on top of the bowl and place the cake on top. This allows the remaining glaze to be caught in the foil and hardened to use for the next project!

Important:

Since this chocolate mousse cake is frozen glazed and slowly thawed, condensation will occur, which will cause unsightly streaks after a while. With a flambé burner, you can carefully heat the corresponding areas on the lowest heat setting. This will give the chocolate its beautiful shine back!

How to make a vegan mousse cake -step-by-step

Step 1: Prepare the pear garnish. To do this, put the finely chopped pears in a saucepan with sugar and lemon juice and heat to 40°C. Separately, mix the pectin NH with a small amount of sugar, stir into the other ingredients and heat the mixture to 80°C, stirring constantly. Pour the compote into the silicone mold, cover with foil and freeze overnight.

Step 2: Prepare the tonka ganache: Pour warm vegan cream and the ground tonka bean over the vegan white chocolate to make a ganache. Add the cold vegan cream, mix briefly with a hand blender to combine the components. Cover the ganache with foil and place in the fridge overnight.

Step 3: For the praline, caramelize the sugar in a pan, place on a baking tray with baking paper and allow to harden completely. Break the caramel into pieces, put it in a high-speed blender together with the chopped hazelnuts and salt and mix to a fine, liquid paste. Add a little vegetable oil if necessary.

Step 4: Bake the hazelnut cake in a 24cm springform pan, let it cool completely, cut off the dome and cut out a circle with the 16cm cake ring. Place the cake ring on a board with baking paper, line with cake foil (at least 8cm wide/high, as the cake will be higher than the cake ring) and place the hazelnut cake in place. Use the back of a piping nozzle to hollow out about 13 small holes, fill them with praline and place the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Prepare the crispy layer. To do this, crumble the wafer sheets or cornflakes, melt the chocolate with the praline and mix the two until all the pieces are coated in chocolate. Spread this mixture on the hazelnut base. Put the cake ring back in the freezer.

Step 6: Make the mousse (feel free to check out this post for a detailed description) and put the first half on top of the crispy layer. Then place the pear garnish in the middle, pour in the remaining mousse, smooth the surface and freeze the entire cake overnight.

Step 7: For the rock glaze, melt the chocolate, add vegetable oil, stir until smooth. Add the hazelnuts and let the mixture cool to 30-35°C.

Step 8: Glaze the cake. To do this, line a bowl with foil to catch the excess icing. Place a wire rack on the bowl, remove the cake from the freezer, remove the cake ring and cake edge foil and place the cake on the wire rack with the mousse side down. Glaze the cake, place a piece of baking paper on the surface, place a board on top and carefully turn the cake over so that the mousse is facing up.

Step 9: Beat the ganache until stiff, pour into a piping bag with a flower nozzle and pipe in an arc on the edge of the chocolate mousse cake. Pipe the ganache in rounds until only a small part is free in the middle (see picture). Fill this area with praline, decorate the edge with hazelnut kernels.

Step 10: Dust the ganache discreetly with cocoa powder and let the cake thaw in the refrigerator. If necessary, carefully remove the streaks from the condensation with a flambé pasture. To do this, set it on the lowest setting and carefully heat the corresponding areas.

You'll also enjoy these tasty veggie recipes:

• Cheesy Puff Pastry Jalapeno Pinwheels
• Korean Braised Tofu
• Pesto Puff Pastry Sticks

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

A vegan chocolate mousse cake with a moist hazelnut base, golden hazelnut praline, crispy layer, fresh pear garnish and creamy tonka ganache.

Prep Time  mins|Cook Time  minutes| Total Time  mins

Dessert

 Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

• Hazelnut cake

  • 120 g ground hazelnuts
  • 160 g wheat flour
  • 8g g cornstarch
  • 3 g ground flaxseed
  • 60 g sugar
  • 60 g brown sugar
  • 7 g baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 240 g soy milk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 40 g vegan butter melted
  • 35 g oil
  • ¼ tsp salt

  Chocolate mousse

  • 160 g dark chocolate coating 54%
  • 100 g vegan cream
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 200 g Vegan Cream Cold

  Pear insert *see notes

  • 135 g firm pears peeled, cored
  • 12 g lemon juice
  • 25 g sugar
  • 4 g pectin NH
  • 10 g sugar For the pectin

  Hazelnut praline

  • 65 g roasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped
  • 65 g sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt

  Kunsperschicht

  • 30 g dark chocolate
  • 30 g praline or hazelnut butter
  • 30 g wafer sheets or cornflakes

  Rock glaze

  • 310 g dark chocolate
  • 60 g vegetable oil
  • 85 g chopped hazelnuts roasted

  Tonka ganache

  • 60 g Vegan White Chocolate
  • 75 g vegan cream
  • 75 g Vegan Cream Cold
  • 2/3 tonka bean ground
  • 1 tsp San Apart/cream stiffener optional

  To the decoration

  • Hazelnut kernels
  • Cocoa powder

INSTRUCTIONs

Pear insert

• Cut the pears into small pieces, heat to 40°C with the lemon juice and sugar.
  135 g firm pears,12 g lemon juice,25 g sugar
• Mix the 10g sugar with the pectin NH, stir into the pears at 40°C. Heat the mixture to 80°C while stirring constantly, then pour into the silicone mold, cover with foil and freeze overnight.
  4 g pectin NH,10 g sugar

Tonka ganache

• Finely chop the vegan chocolate and place in a bowl.

  Gently bring the vegan cream and tonka bean to a simmer and pour over the chocolate.

  Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir in small circles from the center until you have a smooth ganache.

  Add the cold vegan cream and blend with a hand blender. Cover the ganache with foil and place in the fridge overnight.
  60 g vegan white chocolate,75 g vegan cream,75 g vegan cream,2/3 tonka bean

Hazelnut praline

• Caramelize the sugar in a pan over medium heat. Place the liquid caramel on a baking sheet with baking paper and let it harden completely.

  Break the caramel into pieces and mix together with the salt and the roasted and chopped hazelnuts in a high-speed blender to form a fine paste.
  65 g roasted hazelnuts,65 g sugar,1 pinch of salt

Hazelnut cake

• Preheat the oven to 180°C, line the bottom of a springform pan with baking paper and grease the edges.
• Sift the wheat flour, cornstarch, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

  Add sugar and brown sugar, mix briefly.
  120 g ground hazelnuts,160 g wheat flour,8g g cornstarch,60 g sugar,60 g brown sugar,7 g baking powder,1/4 tsp baking soda,1/4 tsp salt
• In a separate bowl, mix the soy milk, apple cider vinegar, crushed flaxseeds, melted vegan butter and oil well with a whisk.
  3 g flaxseed,240 g soy milk,1 tsp apple cider vinegar,40 g vegan butter,35 g oil
• Add the dry to the wet ingredients, stir briefly with a whisk until the ingredients have mixed together.

  Pour the dough into the springform pan, bake for about 30-40 minutes, then test with a chopstick.
• Let the cake cool completely, wrap in foil and let it rest in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. Then cut off the dome and cut out a circle with the cake ring.
• Place the cake ring on a base with baking paper and line with the cake edge foil. Place the cake base and hollow out about 13 holes with the back of a small piping nozzle. Fill this with praline and place the cake in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Crispy layer

• Melt the chocolate with the praline, crumble the waffle sheets and mix with the chocolate until all the pieces are covered. Spread the mixture smoothly on the hazelnut base. Place the cake ring in the freezer again.
  30 g dark chocolate,30 g praline,30 g waffle sheets

Chocolate mousse

• Chop the dark chocolate and place in a bowl. Gently bring the first 100g vegan cream with sugar to a simmer and pour over the chocolate. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes, stirring in small circles from the center until a smooth ganache is formed.
  160 g dark chocolate couverture,100 g vegan cream,2 tsp sugar
• Whip the cold vegan cream into soft peaks and fold into the ganache in 3 portions.

  Add the first half of the mousse to the cake ring, place the frozen pear garnish in the middle and cover with the second half of the mousse. Freeze for at least 8 hours.
  200 g vegan cream

Rock glaze

• Melt the chocolate, stir in vegetable oil and add the chopped hazelnuts. Allow the mixture to cool to 30-35°C.
  310 g dark chocolate,60 g vegetable oil,85 g chopped hazelnuts

Completion

• Remove the frozen cake from the cake ring, remove the cake edge foil.

  line a bowl with foil, place a wire rack over it, place the cake with the mousse side at the bottom of the rack and cover with the glaze.

  Now place a piece of baking paper on the surface, place a bed on top and turn the cake over once so that the mousse now points upwards again.
• Beat the tonka ganache with 1 tsp San Apart until stiff, pour into a piping bag with a flower nozzle and pipe arches on the edge of the cake. Pipe another round of sheets, repeat until the cake is almost completely covered. Pipe some praline into the middle, decorate the edge with hazelnuts.

  Decorate the tonka ganache subtly with cocoa powder.
  1 tsp San Apart/cream stiffener,hazelnut kernels,Cocoa powder
• Let the cake thaw in the fridge, if necessary use a flambé to make the chocolate shine again.