I got the shrimp portion of this recipe while on a trip to New Brunswick, Canada. It was a gold medal award winner for Chef Tasos of the Sheraton Fredericton Hotel. I added the garlic and Parmesan polenta hearts and a new appetizer was born!

Add 2-3 crushed garlic cloves to 1/3 cup olive oil. Set aside.

Bring salt and water to a boil. Stream in corn meal while constantly whisking. Reduce heat to low and continue whisking and cooking for 3-5 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Spread out on a greased baking sheet to about 1 1/2 inches thick. Refrigerate until set, about 1/2 hour or more. Use cookie cutters to cut heart shapes out of the polenta. Arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush tops of polenta hearts with garlic oil. Sprinkle tops with shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until just starting to brown.

Prepare Shrimp:
In the meantime, prepare shrimp. Bring wine to a boil in a medium saucepan and Reduce by half. After reduction, add garlic, parsley, green onion and shrimp. Simmer shrimp mixture for about two minutes, then Reduce heat to low and add softened butter to create a nice smooth sauce. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice, stir to mix and keep warm until polenta hearts are ready.

Remove polenta hearts from the oven. Arrange 2 hearts on each plate, top each heart with 2 shrimp and a little sauce. Garnish with additional parsley and serve.