Jamaican Cornmeal & Coconut Porridge

📝 Ingredients

• 80 g fine polenta (cornmeal)
• 350 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 100 ml coconut milk (full-fat)
• 150 ml cold water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tbsp light brown sugar (1 for the porridge, ½ for the bananas)
• 2 bananas (about 120 g each, peeled)
• 10 g unsalted butter
• 1 pinch of salt

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Bowl
• Non-stick frying pan
• Spatula

📖 Steps

1. In a bowl, whisk the polenta into the 150 ml cold water until there are no lumps left. This is the Jamaican secret: mixed with cold liquid first, the cornmeal won't clump when it meets the hot milk.
2. Pour the semi-skimmed milk and coconut milk into the saucepan with the pinch of salt. Heat over a medium heat until it comes to a simmer, when small bubbles appear around the edges, without letting it boil: the milk would boil over.
3. Pour the polenta mixture into the hot milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, whisking every 30 seconds, until you have a thick, smooth cream with no graininess. With instant polenta, 3 to 4 minutes is enough.
4. Off the heat, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and 1 tbsp light brown sugar, then stir for 30 seconds. Taste: the porridge should be sweet and fragrant. It keeps thickening as it cools, which is why it's best served straight away.
5. Peel the bananas and halve them lengthways. Melt the butter in the frying pan over a medium heat, lay the bananas in the pan flat side down and sprinkle with the rest of the light brown sugar.
6. Cook for 2 minutes without moving them, until the underside is golden and lightly caramelised. Carefully turn them with the spatula so they don't break, then cook for another 2 minutes: they should stay firm.
7. Divide the hot porridge between two bowls, top with the pan-fried bananas and drizzle over the caramelised juices left in the pan. Serve immediately, before the porridge sets.