Polenta Crostini

So, with our current hot Indian summer weather, I'm switching from soup to lighter fare. These crostini, made with polenta instead of bread, were a wonderfully light way to make the most of our transitional produce.

I made three versions: roasted beets with feta and chives, cherry tomatoes with mozzarella and lemony asparagus with goat cheese.

I loved the beet version. I roasted the beets in foil in the oven and their cool, freshness was delicious with the salty feta. The asparagus was parboiled in lemon water, then lightly topped with EVOO and lemon. I felt the goat cheese was a little light, next time I'd use feta.

Honestly, my favorite was the simplest: mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil:

It was the perfect melding of flavors.

I made the polenta from scratch (my first time!), put it in a sheet pan to cool, cut, then sauteed it. I put the asparagus and tomato version under the broiler for a couple of minutes.