It has inspired painters, writers, and composers including Beethoven, Schubert, and Strauss. The romanticized Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, connecting 10 countries, including Romania Serbia, and Bulgaria.

It is also the focus of the eponymous cookbook, “Danube: Recipes and Stories from Eastern Europe” (Hardie Grant, 2024) of which I received a review copy.

It is the third cookbook by Irina Georgescu, a Romanian food writer and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author.

It’s a collection of more than 80 recipes that illuminate the charm and everyday cooking of the Danube’s diverse food cultures, with dishes such as “Leek and Rice Pie,” “Fisherman’s Soup,” “Millet and Mushroom Stuffed Vine Leaves,” and “Strawberries with Rose Water and Creme Anglaise.”

“If there is no cornmeal, there is no meal,” Georgescu writes in her book, adding that Romanians eat more cornmeal than Italians.

Introduced to the region during the Ottoman Empire by trades with Venetian and Genovese merchants, cornmeal is indeed a staple that you’ll find prevalent in this book.

“Baked Cornmeal with Sour Cream, Cheese and Eggs (Mamaliga la Cuptor)” is one such dish.

Its nickname is “Shut up and eat,” Georgescu quips, because it’s best served hot right out of the oven.

It starts out like any basic polenta recipe by whisking water, salt, and cornmeal in a pot on the stovetop. The recipe called for 1 cup of fine cornmeal plus 2 cups of water. I found this an extremely dense mixture, so I added an additional 1/2 cup of water to loosen it up a little more. But you do you. The recipe also stated to cook it for 10 minutes before transferring to a baking dish. When I tested it at this point, the polenta still tasted very raw, so I allowed it to cook on the stove for an additional 10 minutes before adding butter and grated Cheddar, and pouring the mixture into a baking dish.

Make a well in the center of the polenta, then pour in two beaten medium eggs (I used the standard large size instead) plus a heap of sour cream into the crevice. Maybe since my mixture was just slightly more languid in texture and my eggs a tad larger, the beaten eggs and sour cream didn’t stay neatly contained in the well, but spilled over the top of the rest of the polenta. Even so, it baked up nicely in the oven. I also ended up broiling the top for 2 minutes to ensure the eggs were cooked.

For a recipe that’s supposed to serve two, the amount of sour cream is listed as 3/4 cup. Or in other words, 6 tablespoons of sour cream per person, which just seemed like an inordinate amount. I cut it down to 1/2 cup or 4 tablespoons of sour cream per person.

Even so, this creamy, cheesy dish is still a sour cream bomb, made even richer tasting from the beaten eggs that also added a fluffy texture.

The dish is supposed to serve 2. As heavy as it is, I think it would serve more like 4, and be ideal with sauteed bitter greens alongside. It’s a breakfast dish that, depending on your mood, will either power you through lunch or make you want to go laze the day away in a hammock.

Baked Cornmeal with Sour Cream, Cheese and Eggs (Mamaliga la Cuptor)

(Serves 2 to 4)

2 to 2 1/2 cups water (depending on how thick you like your polenta)

2 teaspoons salt, plus an extra pinch for baking

1 cup fine cornmeal (polenta)

1 3/4 ounces salted butter, plus extra for dotting

2 1/2 ounces cascaval or Cheddar, grated, plus extra for baking

1/2 to a generous 3/4 cup sour cream (depending on how rich you want the dish)

2 medium eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F/gas 4) or the broiler to maximum temperature.

In a deep pan, bring the measured water and salt to the boil. Add the cornmeal and use a whisk to distribute it evenly in the water. Reduce the heat to low, cover and allow the cornmeal to absorb the liquid for 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk a couple of times throughout this process. If the cornmeal still tastes raw at this point, allow to cook covered for another 10 minutes, again whisking a couple times.

Stir in the butter and cheese, then pour the cornmeal into a 23-centimeter (9-inch) ceramic baking dish. Allow it to cool a little, then make a large well in the middle. Add the sour cream, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, then add the beaten eggs, working them a little with a fork into the sour cream. Place a few dots of butter on top and another sprinkle of grated cheese. Bake or broil for 10 minutes or until the eggs are just set and the cornmeal has a beautiful golden crust. (Note: If you bake the cornmeal, but find that the eggs are still not done to your liking after 10 minutes, put the dish under the broiler for a minute or two.)

Sprinkle the thyme on top and serve hot.

Adapted from “Danube” by Irina Georgescu

More Polenta Recipes to Enjoy: Savory Braised Oxtail with Preserved Lemon Polenta by Ming Tsai

And: Polenta with Herbed Oil

And: Pork Cheeks with Polenta, Mustard Cream, and Horseradish Gremolata by Suzanne Goin