Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Kumquats - Any ideas?


Anna N

Recommended Posts

I found some kumquats today and though I knew they were a type of citrus fruit, I have never eaten one before. My mind said citrus + fish ought to make a good pair. So now I have kumquats and fish but when I look for ideas as to how to pair these, there are very few recipes to be found. I have eaten one kumquat and found it to be intriguing but wonder if it lacks the necessary acidity to pair well with fish. Anyone care to comment?

Since the fish is for dinner tonight, I expect I will go another route but would still be interested for the future.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

they are a major pain in the neck. i actually had a tree in my back yard but pulled it out. the fruit is fine, but certainly not my favorite. but they are about 1/2 seed by weight, meaning that anything you do with them, you spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mother used to make chicken with soy sauce and kumquats. I can't remember the rest of the ingredients, but I liked it when I was a kid. Whether I'd still like it now, I don't know.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We used to get them in fruit gift baskets at Christmas and thought they were so exotic.

If I had some on hand, I'd probably make some savory dish with orange zest in the sauce, and garnish it with razor-thin cross-section slices of whole kumquat (including peel border).

edited for clarity

Marsha Lynch aka "zilla369"

Has anyone ever actually seen a bandit making out?

Uh-huh: just as I thought. Stereotyping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quite by chance and through another link and then another, I found this:

Kumquatgrowers.com

which has a couple of interesting recipes and a ton of facts on the fruit.

Kumquat Refrigerator Pie recipe as well as Tropical Kumquat Cake .. other than that I found a lot of similar recipes for candied kumquats ...

two more unusual recipes: Kumquat Pastry Tart with Ginger Cream and Microwave Kumquat Jam

And then there is this: Moroccan Chicken with Kumquats and Prunes from Epicurious.com

BTW, there are even things called orangequats, lemonquats, and limequats... :huh:

  • Like 1

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you halve them you can squeeze the seeds out pretty quick. The peel is the best part of the fruit, so if you use 'orange' zest, just zest a few comquats.

I use them for cranberry relish. cook cranberries with a little sweet wine and sugar until they break, then add halved (seeded) cumquats and cook just a few minutes more to help soften the rind. then pulse in a cuisinart a few times. I add a little salt, and fresh grated ginger for a bite. It's fresh and pretty and nice, and if you want, it makes beautiful gifts if you bother putting it up in jars (requires the same technique as preserves...ie, hot jars and a steam bath.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all your suggestions. I have to agree with Russ that they would be a pain to prep in any quantity. So, we had the fish without kumquats and I had the kumquats without the fish! I ate them like candy and would buy them again to eat that way. I certainly didn't buy sufficient to make any sort of preserves but might consider the cranberry-kumquat idea another time. Presently, I make a cranberry and dried apricot preserve with sherry so kumquats would make an interesting variation.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're not a pain to prep if you just wash them and put them in your dish whole. Of course, for fancy dining, you don't want your guests to have to spit out a bunch of seeds, but en famille, no problem.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I was just reading about kumquats, and it occured to me that I've never cooked with them. I don't even know what they taste like. I read that they're sour, and I looove sour fruits. I can't believe I've been depriving myself of them.

So, I plan on procuring some of these little guys soon, but it the meantime I wanted to know if anybody here has any favorite recipes that utilize them. What do they taste like? What do you do with them?

"Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit." -- Anthony Bourdain

Promote skepticism and critical thinking. www.randi.org

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I worked at Windsor Court hotel, we had a dessert with a kumquat sauce. I will have to dig that recipe out of the files. I love kumquats.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like to serve kumquats on cheese platters. Nice change from the cliched sliced apples/grapes/pears you normally see on those things. Plus they're colorful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anybody know of a source for organic kumquats? I want to candy them, and would prefer to use fruit without any pesticide residues.

Can't you just give them a good washing?

"Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit." -- Anthony Bourdain

Promote skepticism and critical thinking. www.randi.org

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The best marmalade I've eaten is kumquat marmalade. I don't make it myself, but I've got a couple of friends who keep me supplied, and come winter when citrus are in season again, I intend to do it myself just to make sure there's no interruption in supply. It's tart and orangey and altogether wonderful.

It's excellent on toast, and then I made little shortbread tarts and filled them with the marmalade. Sweet, buttery tart pastry and sharp, citrusy marmalade filling, just perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I like them halved with caramelized figs (dry, soaked in some orange liqueur, or fresh), cooked, with some added white wine and a tiny bit of cornstarch, served with mascarpone. The mascarpone is particularly nice if mixed with candied ginger. I stole the concept from a Nadine Abensur book, and it's always a hit, even when I mess it up slightly. Hers is a little less soupy than mine (though the photos in her book were more liquidy than the original recipe would make possible).

Kumquat marmelade or syrup is nice, even to make a hot "tea."

They're also nice sliced finely and put on salads; if you're patient you can even extract enough juice for a vinaigrette.

Jason Truesdell

Blog: Pursuing My Passions

Take me to your ryokan, please

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you cant handle them right now, for marmalade purposes it is fine to freeze them until you do have time. They are easier to slice up after they have been frozen and thawed too.

You can never have too much kumquat marmalade in your pantry.

Happy Feasting

Janet (a.k.a The Old Foodie)

My Blog "The Old Foodie" gives you a short food history story each weekday day, always with a historic recipe, and sometimes a historic menu.

My email address is: theoldfoodie@fastmail.fm

Anything is bearable if you can make a story out of it. N. Scott Momaday

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...