Creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside

February 15, 2006

Adding polenta to what is basically a molten chocolate cake, says Marisa Iocco, executive chef of Mare in the North End, ''turns a sophisticated chocolate dessert into something Italian and fun." Polenta, the Italian word for cornmeal, provides texture to this otherwise purely creamy confection.

Polenta is typically a savory dish -- a creamy, corn-flavored bed for braised or grilled meats -- but using it in desserts isn't novel. ''Sweet polenta is nothing new in Italy's corn country," writes author Lynne Rossetto Kasper in ''The Italian Country Table." Kasper offers a chocolate polenta pudding cake and gushes about the combination of corn ''paired with the brazen lushness of chocolate."

At Mare, sous chef Christopher Pauls coats the baking cups with cornmeal so that when the little cakes are turned out, the shell has a delicate crunch. The inside still oozes warm chocolate. The corn flavor is barely detectable, but the gritty texture of cornmeal distinguishes this dessert from its pure chocolate cousins. -- LISA ZWIRN

Chocolate polenta souffles

Makes 6

	Butter (for the cups)
3 to 4	tablespoons fine-ground polenta or cornmeal
5	ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
7	tablespoons unsalted butter
2	eggs
3	extra egg yolks
3/4	cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4	cup flour

1. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Generously butter six custard cups ( 3/4 cup capacity each). Add some polenta or cornmeal to each and swirl it around the cup to coat the inside.

2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir the chocolate and butter until smooth; remove from the heat.

3. In an electric mixer, beat the eggs, extra yolks, and sugar for 3 minutes or until thick and light-colored. On low speed, mix in the flour. Remove the bowl from the stand. Fold in the chocolate mixture until there are no streaks remaining. Divide the batter among the cups.

4. Place the filled cups on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are slightly rounded and a tester inserted into the center comes out with wet batter. Cool 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each cup and turn out onto individual dessert plates.

Adapted from Mare restaurant