Jalapeño Polenta Cakes with Citrus Glaze

Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan and add salt. Stir in cornmeal. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. As you cook this it will thicken. If it gets too thick to stir, add ¼ cup of water at a time.

After 30 minutes, take a teaspoon of mixture and allow to cool for 5 minutes and taste. It should have a smooth finish and not feel gritty. If it is gritty, allow to cook a little longer and repeat tasting until a smooth texture is left. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and diced jalapeños.

Spray a 9×9 cake pan with cooking oil or butter. Transfer cornmeal mixture to pan and spread it out until even. Allow to cool for 30 minutes or up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

While cooling, prepare the glaze: Zest all the skin off of the orange and set aside. Juice the orange into a measuring cup and add water to form one cup of juice. Place this in a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, stir in the sugar and cook for 2 minutes

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water and mix until dissolved. Add this into the juice mixture and cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat, add orange zest, and stir.

When polenta has cooled, slice it into 2×2 inch pieces and place in a sauté pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side.

Place polenta on serving plates and drizzle orange mixture over top. Serve and enjoy.