Lemon polenta cakes with pistachio nuts and mascarpone

MAKES 10 // PREP TIME 20 MINS // COOK 40 MINS (PLUS SOAKING, COOLING)

“Sicily is synonymous with citrus, in particular lemons and oranges, and some of the best pistachio nuts in the world come from the island, too,” says Koludrovic. “I love playing with this recipe using the best citrus I can find, especially blood oranges, Meyer lemons and bergamot, when I’m lucky.”

Olive oil spray, for greasing 200 gm softened butter

200 gm caster sugar

Finely grated rind of 3 lemons

200 gm almond meal

100 gm fine polenta

1½ tsp baking powder

3 eggs

LEMON SYRUP

75 ml lemon juice

(from about 2 lemons) 75 gm (⅓ cup) caster sugar

MASCARPONE FROSTING

150 gm mascarpone

150 gm thickened cream

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean

CANDIED PISTACHIO NUTS

50 gm pistachio nuts

2 tbsp simple sugar syrup

(see cook’s notes p176)

1 Preheat oven 170°C. Grease ten 5cm metal ring moulds (see note) and line with baking paper, ensuring paper is twice as high as the moulds (cakes will rise quite a lot). Beat butter, sugar and lemon rind in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth, being careful not to aerate mixture (2-3 minutes).

Mix almond meal, polenta and baking powder in a bowl, then beat 2 tbsp polenta mixture into butter mixture. Add eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate between additions, then fold in remaining polenta mixture. Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a wide, plain nozzle and pipe into moulds to just

below the lip. Bake until golden, well risen and firm to touch (18-20 minutes).

2 For lemon syrup, bring lemon juice and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cool briefly. Poke holes in cakes with a skewer, then pour warm syrup over them (make sure the syrup isn’t hot or the cakes will break down). Soak cakes until ready to serve. 3 For mascarpone frosting, whisk ingredients in a bowl to firm peaks (1-2 minutes). Refrigerate until required.

4 For candied pistachio nuts, preheat oven to 150°C. Soak nuts in sugar syrup in a bowl (5 minutes). Drain, then spread nuts over a tray lined with baking paper and bake until golden and crunchy

(15-20 minutes; the oil in the nuts means that while warm they’re soft, so cool a couple to test for crunch). Cool completely, then coarsely chop.

5 Remove paper from cakes, pipe mascarpone frosting generously on top and serve scattered with chopped candied pistachio nuts. Cakes are best eaten the day they’re made. Note These cakes can be made in advance and frozen, unsoaked and unfrosted, for up to three months, or refrigerated for up to a week.