Corncakes With Confit Of Duck And Hot Pepper Jelly

Directions

1. To make the Corn Cakes: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the corn, shallot, jalapeno, and 1/2 tsp. of salt, and cook, stirring, till the corn is tender and fragrant, about 3 min. Set aside to cold.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg. Stir in the cooled corn mix.
3. In another medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, cornmeal, flour, baking pwdr, soda, and cayenne. Add in the buttermilk mix and stir to create a thick batter (take care not to overmix). Set batter aside while making the confit topping.
4. To make the Confit Topping: In a small saucepan, whisk together the demi-glace and jelly and cook over medium heat till just thickened. Add in the duck and diced peppers and cook, stirring occasionally till heated through. Add in the Essence and set aside, covered, while you make the corncakes.
5. Place a paper towel-lined baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 100 degrees.
6. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in sufficient of the vegetable oil to lightly film the skillet. Add in about a Tbsp. of the batter at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook till golden, turning once, about 2 min per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the corncakes to the baking sheet to keep hot. Repeat with the remaining batter to make about 30 corncakes in all.
7. To serve, place the hot corncakes on a serving platter and top each with some of the duck mix. Garnish each corncake with a cilantro leaf and serve.
8. This recipe yields 30 hors d'oeuvres.
9. Yield: 30 hors d'oeuvres