John, you were actually on the right trail. Instead of sticking it in the toaster oven, if you had just refrigerated it you'd have then had the slicing kind. Even most of the pretty creamy thinner polentas will firm up if allowed to set. The name of the product does vary. The polenta cornmeal is of course a grit. It's just what coarseness of grit you prefer, but it can be done with pretty much any grit/coarseness/grind/etc. Grits that most call grits as supposed to be made from hominy as was mentioned earlier, but sometimes aren't. Sure, try again. That big old porcelainized kitchen table ya'll have heard me mention, was used by my Grandparents to serve the family polenta and meat sauce. Right on the table or on a big giant board. Big pot of polenta poured on, pot of meat/sauce on top, kids/people given spoons to dig in. What fun!

When I plan on making grilled polenta, I often add flavorings of one kind or another before putting it in the fridge to set. Various cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, herbs, cloves of roasted garlic, caramelized onions, scallions, minced bacon or pancetta, gosh, the list is endless. It depends on what I'm serving with it. I make sure to slice it with a very sharp knife so that the additions don't tear holes in the polenta squares. A mixture of the tomatoes, olives & scallions makes for a very pretty presentation. I like soft polenta too, but generally serve that with some sort of topping, so often I just make that plain, with just the meal, water, butter, and maybe some salt & pepper. The other night, we had stuffed mushrooms for dinner on a bed of soft polenta and one of the last three jars of my spicy tomato sauce (I need my tomatoes to ripen SOON!) into which I'd added a little ground beef. Yum.

Here is one from Giada that I made over the holidays. It was a hit, and there were no leftovers! Polenta Squares With Mushroom Ragu 2 cups boiling water 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning 1/2 cup quick-cooking polenta 1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning 1 clove garlic, minced 3/4 cup dry Marsala 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves Bring the water, 1 tablespoon butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in the polenta. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir constantly until the polenta thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour the polenta into a greased 9 by 9-inch baking pan, spreading so that it is 1/3-inch thick. Cover and let stand at room temperature until set, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and saute until the juices evaporate, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the Marsala. Cover and simmer until the Marsala has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl to form a paste, then stir the paste into the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley into the ragu. Season the ragu, to taste, with more salt and pepper. Cut the polenta into 36 bite-size squares. Arrange the polenta squares on a platter. Spoon the warm ragu atop the polenta and serve immediately. Linda

I like it almost any way. The only important point is quality. Anson Mills consistently tests at or near the top of available brands. Falls Mill is pretty good, as is the always reliable Bob's Mill. But Anson Mills is the best we've ever tried. The only time I don't like it is when chefs/cooks gunk it up with too much butterfat. One restaurant must have used massive amounts of mascarpone in the polenta, along with a huge amount of cultured butter in making their soft polenta. I love both mascarpone and butter, but the polenta was so ridiculously rich, that using it as a side to a meat and tomato cream sauce, bordered on indigestible. It would have been so much better starring on its own. One tasty but caloric way to serve leftover polenta: slice it 1/4" thick and pan-fry until crispy speckled brown. Takes a bit longer than you'd think, but it's VERY tasty as a side.