Okay, so, I love trying new foods. I love going to the grocery store and browsing the produce for what’s seasonal and what’s interesting. I’d seen kumquats before, but I had never eaten one. I did once have a cocktail containing kumquat infused vodka. It was good stuff, but not food. Their insides are sour and tart, and the outside is zesty and sweet. You can eat the entire fruit–peel, seeds, and all.

These candied kumquats are also good stuff. The tiny citrus are sliced in half, deseeded, and cooked with a sugar syrup until soft, translucent and candied. The chewy, little, jewels are all citrus–bright and delicious. I had some, with a little drizzle of the syrup, on greek yogurt. Yum. I have no doubt that these gems would be perfect in the bottom of a glass of bubbly, or even served as a condiment for both savory (think pork or poultry) and sweet (pound cake or ice cream) dishes. Regardless of how you will consume them, you should make them. With relatively few ingredients and a little time you can enjoy these candied delights as well…and impress your friends. Friends are impressed by candied citrus. Trust me.

 

Candied Kumquats

Adapted from Simply Recipes

12 oz. kumquats

1 1/2 cups granualated sugar

3/4 cup water

Rinse kumquats under cool water. Roughly chop fruit in half, removing any visible seeds. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan heat sugar and water until sugar dissolves and syrup begins to boil. Add kumquats and reduce heat and simmer, skimming foam as needed, for 15-20 minutes.  The kumquats should be translucent. At this point, if your syrup is still watery, you can drain your kumquats and return the reserved syrup to the stove–reducing the liquid to 1/4 cup. Then, place kumquats into a clean jar and pour over remaining syrup. Allow to cool to room temperature before refrigerating.