2 cups polenta (stone ground corn meal)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, divided (see directions

10 ounces crimini or button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup minced onion

pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (rosemary and chives are very good)

salt and pepper

4 ounces fontina cheese or 1/2 cup heavy cream

chunk of Parmesan cheese

Saute the mushrooms and onion in butter until tender. Add the cayenne and cognac or brandy; cook until evaporated. Add fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Add the fontina cheese and allow to melt or the heavy cream, allowing it to thicken somewhat. Stir and adjust seasoning.

Cook 1 recipe of polenta according to package directions. While warm, spread out on a wooden cutting board (or a plastic one) to a thickness of  3/4-1 inch. Top with warm mushroom mixture. Grate parmesan cheese over top. Allow diners to cut squares of polenta.

Fontina Cheese Also called Fontina Val d'Aosta after the Italian valley from which it comes, this is one of Italy's great cheeses. Semifirm yet creamy, fontina is a cow's-milk cheese with about 45 percent milk fat. It has a dark golden brown rind with a pale yellow interior dotted with tiny holes. The mild, nutty flavor, and the fact that it melts easily and smoothly, make fontina perfect for almost any use. Besides Italy, fontinas are made in other countries including Denmark, France and the United States. Many of these fontinas, especially when young, tend to be blander and softer than the Italian original.