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candied kumquats


aznsailorboi

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been looking for recipe's for this, but all of the ones that i've seen seems like the end product is wet and submerged in syrup..... anyone know how to make it into "candied form" like how candied or crystallized ginger looks like?

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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been looking for recipe's for this, but all of the ones that i've seen seems like the end product is wet and submerged in syrup..... anyone know how to make it into "candied form" like how candied or crystallized ginger looks like?

I don't think you'll find a different recipe. You just need to drain and dry the results (rolling them in sugar will help this along).

Andrew

Andrew Riggsby

ariggsby@mail.utexas.edu

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Not a problem, they can easily be done "whole" - however it takes some prep.

You get a better, and more rapid, result it you remove the core, or rather punch a hole in the center from the stem end to the blossom end.

The easiest way to do this is to use one of the "leave-in" oven meat thermometers with a round dial that is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. I place the dial face down so the probe sticks up and push the fruits down on the point. This is a lot safer than trying to hold the fruit and punching something through it. (I speak from experience that running a very sharp ice pick into the palm is no fun at all! :wacko: )

The process is easier if you have a crockpot. Mix up enough "light" simple syrup, (equal parts, sugar and water)

place the fruit and syrup in the crockpot, so the fruit is covered with some extra liquid - the fruit will float. Turn it to high until the syrup is bubbling then reduce it to low.

Cover and allow it to simmer gently in the syrup for about 6 hours.

Turn off the crockpot and allow it to cool completely.

Turn the crockpot on again, top up the syrup if needed and cook it on low for another 6 hours.

Cool completely.

Repeat this process three more times and if you leave it cooling for an entire day, that is okay too. Keep adding syrup as needed to keep the fruit completely covered.

The syrup will get thicker and thicker.

At the end of the fifth process, remove one or two fruits from the syrup and set on a rack to drain.

The fruit should look sort of translucent and very shiny. Cut one into pieces and taste.

If the texture and flavor is the way you want, remove the rest of the fruit from the syrup, drain on a rack set in a sheet pan for at least 24 hours. Having a fan blow air over them will speed up the drying process.

If they are not candied all the way through, just repeat the above process for an additional 1, 2 or 3 sessions. Only the largest fruits should need this long.

It will take at least two days until the surface is just slightly tacky.

Now place some granulated sugar, as coarse as you can find, into a shallow container and add a few fruits at a time, shake them around until they are well coated.

It is best to allow them to continue to dry for a couple of days on parchment paper.

Store in a tightly closed glass jar. Do not store in plastic bags.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Now I want to explain why the heating and cooling is important.

As the fruit is heated in the syrup, the liquids in the fruit tissue are driven out. As the fruit cools, it draws the syrup into the spaces left when the fruit liquids were driven out by the heat.

This heat/cool process gradually causes the syrup to penetrate deeper into the fruit.

Consider that when candying chestnuts, the process takes 4 or 5 times as long because the nut is far more dense than citrus.

The relatively low temperature is important because if you cook it too vigorously, the fruit will eventually break up.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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thanks for response andiesenji. it is very informative. is there any specific temp that i need to stick to? or just a low on the crockpot is good enough? and the ratio of water to sugar?

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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thanks for response andiesenji. it is very informative. is there any specific temp that i need to stick to? or just a low on the crockpot is good enough? and the ratio of water to sugar?

It depends on your crockpot, generally low is just right, you should be able to see it simmering very, very gently.

I stated in the first post the "light" simple syrup is 1:1. Equal parts, water and sugar.

Regular simple sugar is two parts sugar to one part water, you don't need that heavy a concentration. The water is going to reduce during the prolonged cooking anyway.

It is even possible to use less sugar but the process takes longer.

Larger fruits can be candied whole also, but those take a long time. When I do clementines, it usually takes a week for fruits that are no more than 2 inches in diameter, even with the core punched out - for those I use a larding needle.

Other fresh fruits are a bit more complicated - however I candy dried fruits of all kinds with great success.

I candy the tiny seckle or Forelli pears, cut in half and cored, however they have to be very hard or firm, not yet ripe. Otherwise they fall apart.

Whole figs can be candied and they take probably twice as long as the kumquats.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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thanks for response andiesenji. it is very informative. is there any specific temp that i need to stick to? or just a low on the crockpot is good enough? and the ratio of water to sugar?

I candy the tiny seckle or Forelli pears, cut in half and cored, however they have to be very hard or firm, not yet ripe. Otherwise they fall apart.

.

Agreed - thanks! It is indeed very informative. I have a dessert that I was serving poached seckel pears with (a savory tart) that would do well with a bit of sweetness. Would love to use a whole seckel pear. I'm assuming that I can do it whole... I just want to use an itty bitty thing to scoop out the core from the bottom.

Your thoughts..

Cheryl, The Sweet Side
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thanks for response andiesenji. it is very informative. is there any specific temp that i need to stick to? or just a low on the crockpot is good enough? and the ratio of water to sugar?

I candy the tiny seckle or Forelli pears, cut in half and cored, however they have to be very hard or firm, not yet ripe. Otherwise they fall apart.

.

Agreed - thanks! It is indeed very informative. I have a dessert that I was serving poached seckel pears with (a savory tart) that would do well with a bit of sweetness. Would love to use a whole seckel pear. I'm assuming that I can do it whole... I just want to use an itty bitty thing to scoop out the core from the bottom.

Your thoughts..

Scroll all the way to the bottom of this page where you will find a Larding Needle with pusher 6 from the bottom.

I also use, in some instances, a sculpting tool you can find at most art stores. There are several shapes that work beautifully, with a very sharp wire which will cut into fruit without deforming it.

This is a set that will give you an idea of the shapes. There are larger ones also.

sculpting tools

I also use a couple of wood-carving tools.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I candy a lot of citrus peels, but when I try kumquats and clementines they end up "collapsing" and not staying round and plump.  Any remedy for this?

They have to be processed at a fairly low temperature and alternating heating and cooling as noted above. This should keep them from collapsing.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Not a problem, they can easily be done "whole" - however it takes some prep.

You get a better, and more rapid, result it you remove the core, or rather punch a hole in the center from the stem end to the blossom end.

The easiest way to do this is to use one of the "leave-in" oven meat thermometers with a round dial that is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  I place the dial face down so the probe sticks up and push the fruits down on the point.  This is a lot safer than trying to hold the fruit and punching something through it. 

Andiesenji, thanks for the detailed info. Should the probe be pushed all the way through the fruit, or do you stop right before you push it through the blossom end? Any advantage to also poking small holes around the rest of the fruit with a regular needle?

I thought a read somehwere that the sugar syrup that is used each day needs to be increasing in concentration each day. Not true?

Do you keep the fruit cooking covered the entire time, or do you need to uncover the pot and let the water evaporate, to concentrate the sugars?

Edited by cookman (log)
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The syrup will concentrate as the water cooks out of it over the long period of cooking.

I only tried one time to do it with the increasing concentration of sugar and got an unsatisfactory result. The sugar crystallized and the fruit had hard lumps in it, instead of remaining flexible and chewy.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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The syrup will concentrate as the water cooks out of it over the long period of cooking.

I only tried one time to do it with the increasing concentration of sugar and got an unsatisfactory result.  The sugar crystallized and the fruit had hard lumps in it, instead of remaining flexible and chewy.

Sorry to belabor this point, but to make sure I understand your technique, do I keep the crock pot covered during the entire time that the kumquats are in it cooking?

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OHHHHH ok, so a larding needle is supposed to poke a hole through the fruit. hahaha thanks for the visual aid andiesenji hehe. :laugh:

I'm assuming that whenever I put all me ingredients in the crockpot, I start cold. coz wouldn't starting with boiling water scald and shock the kumquats, and the outside would cook first too quick?

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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Keep the crockpot covered. Enough steam will escape on its own and it will keep the syrup at the correct temperature on the low setting. It will be too cool uncovered.

You start with everything room temperature. If you want you can put the syrup in first and let it warm a little, the sugar will dissolve a little easier, but don't allow it to get too hot before you add the fruit.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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well i was thinking does it make a difference if i dont "core" the kumquats? coz for my recipe i need to slice the candied 'quats to make "wheels" for garnish on top, so if i do that i wont have a wheel. :sad:

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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well i was thinking does it make a difference if i dont "core" the kumquats? coz for my recipe i need to slice the candied 'quats to make "wheels" for garnish on top, so if i do that i wont have a wheel. :sad:

It will take longer for the fruit to be candied all the way through.

Go through the process as described in my post, cut one or slice it and see how far the candying has progressed.

When I have done them whole, I have found it may take almost twice as long if there is no way for the syrup to get into the center of the fruit.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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well i was thinking does it make a difference if i dont "core" the kumquats? coz for my recipe i need to slice the candied 'quats to make "wheels" for garnish on top, so if i do that i wont have a wheel. :sad:

I candy wheels and kumquat halves by cutting them first...they keep their shape nicely (and probably candy quicker).

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what other fruits have you guys candied and can you also state the length of time they need to be candied in the syrup? and any specific procedure ie. coring, peeling, slitting, etc.

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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I have candied many types of fruits, nuts, odd things like Angelica stems, not-quite-ripe seed heads of fennel, edible flowers, chunks of pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, parsnips, and one unfortunate experiment with a turnip(don't try, it isn't pretty).

The following is my process that is posted on Melinda Lee's site.

Glace or candied fruit

And this is my crystallized ginger method

Melinda has had the latter posted for several years, I think she put the glace fruit method up a year or so ago.

I noted that when preparing dried fruits for candying, it is best to steam them first, to "plump" them without adding too much water to the fruit. Soaking in water may may them too soggy to absorb all the syrup they should.

I also said don't try to candy limes. I am speaking here of the Persian lime (seedless). The little Mexican or "Key" limes can be candied but they are full of seeds which do not soften with the candying process.

Candying pears is tricky, particularly with the skins left on. It can be done but just a bit too much heat will cause the skin to turn an ugly brown like a dried leaf.

Dried fruits that already have a high sugar index are by far the easiest and I usually advise people just starting out to try them first, apricots do beautifully when steamed first to plump them and look like jewels when finished.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Wow! all these are sounding pretty good! But ANGELICA STEMS!!!! omg i have been looking for them all over the place! even on line, but unfortunately i've found one site that sells it and its from europe,, and im not really gonna pay more for shipping than the product. pfft! c'mon now! where do u get the fresh stems from? I LOVE THEM!!!!

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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I have a bunch of Seville orange peels ready to be candied today. how long do they last:

1- in syrup?

2- once dried and rolled in sugar?

As long as they are stored in a dry jar, with a tight seal, they will keep a long, long time.

And, if they dry out, simply dry them completely in a very low oven and grind in a spice grinder.

You can add this to marinades and sauces, to tea, or add to frosting for topping cakes or cupcakes, lots of ways to use this.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Wow! all these are sounding pretty good! But ANGELICA STEMS!!!! omg i have been looking for them all over the place! even on line, but unfortunately i've found one site that sells it and its from europe,, and im not really gonna pay more for shipping than the product. pfft! c'mon now! where do u get the fresh stems from? I LOVE THEM!!!!

You can actually grow angelica in a pot but since it is a biannual, it can only be harvested every other year.

If there are farmer's markets in your area, when late spring comes around, call and see if any are growing it. There are a few specialty growers around the country that supply the herb products manufacturers.

Angelica

I occasionally see it at one of the Asian markets at which I shop.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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re: the seville orange peels - I candied a batch one year and it turned out inedibly bitter - I had to toss the whole batch. This puzzled me, as I knew sevilles were the variety used in orange marmalade, which includes the shredded peel. Minimal research revealed that they are blanched repeatedly or soaked overnight to leech out the bitterness - I had given them one quick blanching which was apparently insufficient. So you might do a small test batch first.

re: angelica - it is biennial but will reseed and continue to sprout for years if it likes the ground you put it in. And it must not be too picky; my first planting thrived for ten years. So amongst your acquaintances who garden you are likely to find someone with an interest in herbs who has some.

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