Baked Cheesy Grits

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

My friend from South Carolina gave me this recipe. It's from Emeril Lagasse. I'm often asked to make it, for potlucks and brunches. My family, who are not fans of grits, love this casserole!

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick grits (not instant)
1 large egg
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-qt. casserole with 2 Tbsp. butter.

Combine the remaining 1/4 cup butter, water, and salt in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture comes to a simmer, add the grits, stirring, until thoroughly combined. Continue to cook the grits at a simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the egg, cream, and black pepper. Stir into the cooked grits along with the cheeses. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole and smooth the top. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

Tori3569 · ‎06-27-2010

Thank you @beach-mom ! I've lived in NYC my whole life, but I love cheese grits. I'm going to make this on Saturday!

SurferWife · ‎12-12-2010

Stone Ground grits only!

Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. It isn’t how long you live that matters; it is how well you are prepared to die. ~~Colonel Robert B. Thieme, Jr.

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

YW @Tori3569 ! I hope you like it!

You are lucky to live in NYC. I have been there a few times. One of my best friends from college lived in Staten Island. I visited her there a few times. The first thing we did after I got there was go to Nathan's. Of course I'd never heard of it. Best hotdog ever!

Tori3569 · ‎06-27-2010

@beach-mom wrote:
YW @Tori3569 ! I hope you like it!

You are lucky to live in NYC. I have been there a few times. One of my best friends from college lived in Staten Island. I visited her there a few times. The first thing we did after I got there was go to Nathan's. Of course I'd never heard of it. Best hotdog ever!

Aww, I'm glad you had a good time. I believe you live in CA. If so, I go to San Diego at least once a year to visit my nephew and his family. He was from here, but met his wonderful wife and moved to her hometown. It's so beautiful there. I've been to most of the large cities in California at some point for work reasons. Very different from here but all very beautiful places.

beach-mom · ‎03-09-2010

@Tori3569 wrote:
@beach-mom wrote:
YW @Tori3569 ! I hope you like it!

You are lucky to live in NYC. I have been there a few times. One of my best friends from college lived in Staten Island. I visited her there a few times. The first thing we did after I got there was go to Nathan's. Of course I'd never heard of it. Best hotdog ever!

Aww, I'm glad you had a good time. I believe you live in CA. If so, I go to San Diego at least once a year to visit my nephew and his family. He was from here, but met his wonderful wife and moved to her hometown. It's so beautiful there. I've been to most of the large cities in California at some point for work reasons. Very different from here but all very beautiful places.

@Tori3569 - I'm on the opposite coast! I grew up near the ocean and on the Chesapeake Bay. We still live near water. I told DH, who grew up on a dairy farm, he could not take me away from it!

Tori3569 · ‎06-27-2010

@beach-mom wrote:
@Tori3569 wrote:
@beach-mom wrote:
YW @Tori3569 ! I hope you like it!

You are lucky to live in NYC. I have been there a few times. One of my best friends from college lived in Staten Island. I visited her there a few times. The first thing we did after I got there was go to Nathan's. Of course I'd never heard of it. Best hotdog ever!

Aww, I'm glad you had a good time. I believe you live in CA. If so, I go to San Diego at least once a year to visit my nephew and his family. He was from here, but met his wonderful wife and moved to her hometown. It's so beautiful there. I've been to most of the large cities in California at some point for work reasons. Very different from here but all very beautiful places.

@Tori3569 - I'm on the opposite coast! I grew up near the ocean and on the Chesapeake Bay. We still live near water. I told DH, who grew up on a dairy farm, he could not take me away from it!

Lol! I don't know why I thought you lived in California. So you're much closer--come back and visit anytime! 🩷

rockygems123 · ‎06-04-2012

@beach-mom @Tori3569 @SurferWife

For those that have had grits is it similar to polenta?

That's what we had growing up in SF as there was a large Italian population.

Thinking maybe grits aren't as firm as polenta?

SurferWife · ‎12-12-2010

@rockygems123

I thought I would give you the kitchen textbook difference rather than put it in my own words, so here goes.

Polenta vs. Grits

While they're both stone-ground cornmeal, there's plenty that separates them. For starters, they're derived from different varieties of corn that are milled to different consistencies and different textures.

Polenta comes from flint corn, which is courser and holds a firmer texture, while dent corn (or hominy) used for grits produces a finer consistency. And while it isn't the case across the board, the corn used to create polenta is generally yellow, while grits are white.

Then there's a matter of geography; polenta hails from Italy, while the American South lays claim to grits. So while there's not a hard and fast rule in terms of color (as mentioned above), you might want to think twice before trying to pass off yellow "grits" to a proud Southern cook!

The truth is a lot of the confusion comes down to labeling. Technically, "polenta" isn't an ingredient at all — it's a dish of cornmeal cooked down into a porridge. Not that the clarification helps matters, because the same is essentially true of grits. This explains why you sometimes won't find either polenta or grits labeled as such in the grocery store. If this is the case, simply look for "course cornmeal."

That said, you'll often spot polenta sold in a tube. In this case, it's been pre-cooked, shaped, and congealed, ready for slicing into rounds and heating or searing as a sort of cake. And while you won't find grits sold this way, you can certainly prepare them this way yourself. Which is to say, polenta and grits are largely interchangeable — and it pretty much comes down to preference which one you choose to use.

Time is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity. It isn’t how long you live that matters; it is how well you are prepared to die. ~~Colonel Robert B. Thieme, Jr.

rockygems123 · ‎06-04-2012

Thank you @SurferWife that is very helpful info!

The polenta in a tube is what I use in a fantastic chicken breast cherry tomatoes whole garlic gloves drizzled italian dressing and olive oil topped with parmesan roasted dish.

Smells divine and all the wonderful juices from the veg and chicken get soaked up in the polenta. yum. It's a Katie Lee Biegel recipe.

Thinking I'm going to try @beach-mom recipe. Are you trying it too and / or do you have a favorite grits recipe?