The other day, I went into my local Chinese market. I love going in there because I can always find some new/unusual/hard-to-get product that I can try. Anyway, in the produce section there were these big containers of kumquats. I’d passed them up last week because I was in there for only a few specific items and my funds were limited. But when I saw them again, they just looked so beautiful and enticing, I couldn’t resist. 
Want to know what I did with them?
Kumquats are like tiny, oval orange and can be eaten whole. They can be very sweet or very tart (which I learned the hard way). The problem I had was that I didn’t really know what to do with them. My mother never really used kumquats, so I didn’t grow up with them and had never incorporated them into my food repetoire. And there were so many of them in the container! I went online and found some recipes and tried out a couple, including a kumquat-cranberry salsa, which was a sweet-spicy combo. But I was particularly intrigued by a kumquat brandy recipe. I was all ready to go out and buy some brandy when it occurred to me that I could use a recipe I have for limoncello. Everyone loves my limoncello–it’s sweet and strong and beats the hell out of any of the store-bought stuff. I’ve also made limecello (the flavor profile becomes more distinct from limoncello as it ages) and always had it in my head that one day, I would make orangecello. Well, kumquats are citrus fruits, so why not give them a try? It would be a kumquatcello. So, that’s exactly what I did. They are macerating in a big ol’ bottle of vodka right now. In a couple of weeks, I will add additional vodka along with a sugar syrup and voilà–kumquatcello! 
I don’t have my original limoncello recipe so here’s a recipe from Epicurious.com, in case you want to give it a go. Just substitute two or three cups of kumquats for the lemon peels. Limoncello Recipe I’ll let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy whatever it is you celebrate! Enjoy the food and festivities. Peace, Roberta
22 Responses
April 10th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
OMG that looks good!
April 10th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I hope it tastes good, too. But, then, it’s booze. What’s there not to like about it?
April 10th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Wow, cool!
I was given some quince a few weeks ago. I’d never seen or tasted them. I followed a recipe from a Middle Eastern cookbook to make quince paste, but I think I didn’t quite get the texture right as it’s quite soft and gooshy. (And too sweet. Waaaay too sweet.) But it’s certainly an interesting flavour, and would probably go really well with blue cheese or a strong Camembert.
Have you ever made a fruit paste like this, and if so, how do you get it to be really firm? Or is it supposed to be gooshy?
April 10th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I’ve never made anything like that myself. I’ve only seen it firm but who’s to say that homemade quince paste isn’t sometimes gooshy? It goes particularly well with Spanish cheese, by the way.
April 10th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
What is Spanish cheese? (Andi, do NOT say “queso”).
April 10th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
I’ve always wanted to try limoncello, so why not kumquat?! Do they taste a lot like oranges? I want to try some of that!
April 10th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Hey, Deb. They actually taste more like mandarins. Orangey but different, ya know? I’ll definitely report on the findings of my experiment.
April 11th, 2009 at 5:40 am
I looove kumquats! Wow, I haven’t seen one in ages. Generally, we just, I dunno, ate them.
Though I think a kumquat marmalade would be pretty amazing. I love jam. And butter. And bread. And coffee. And eggs. Heck, just give me the whole damn breakfast plate.
The kumquatcello thing is a really great idea, though. Looks fantastic. Better than what I was worried you’d make when you started the post about the Chinese market. (I always tell my friends, “Ya wanna go vegetarian, visit the meat section of your local Chinese market.”) But, then again, you’re not really in the market for that kind of incentive, I guess.
April 11th, 2009 at 8:28 am
Ha, Ha. I know what you mean, Cat. The meat section can get a bit adventurous. Then again, some of the stuff in the jars on the shelves are…um…interesting, too. If they still have kumquats the next time I go there, I’m going to try my hand at marmalade. Although, the kumquat-cranberry salsa was not bad at all.
April 11th, 2009 at 8:31 am
A good example would be Manchego. In Spain, quince paste is called membrillo and it is very popular served with Manchego.
April 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Lorna wants your kumquat-cranberry salsa recipe.
April 11th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
You got it, Paula. This is not my recipe, though–I got it off Recipezaar.com from a contributor named Debber. So, thanks to Debber! I made one alteration: I didn’t have any green chiles on hand, so I used a dried chile de arbol. Once cooked in the salsa (chopped up, of course), it gets reconstituted. Note that this is not the chip-dipping kind of salsa but more of a condiment for meats, rice, veggies, etc., like cranberry relish. I liked it on my vegetarian chicken patties. Yum! Anyway, let me know how you and Lorna like it.
Cranberry and Kumquat Salsa
6 ounces kumquats
1 onion, peeled & chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
2 mandarin oranges, juice of
1 lb cranberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
1 green chili pepper (seeded & chopped) (opt.)
salt & pepper, to taste
Halve the kumquats, discard seeds, quarter the fruits. Put ‘quats, onion, garlic, berries and o.j. in a sauce-pan; half cover the pot, simmer until berries pop. Stir in the sugar and chilies.
Once sugar is dissolved, bring mixture to a boil; boil until mixture thickens.
Remove pan from heat; spoon salsa into hot jars, seal with two-part lids. Spoon into jars, cool completely, refrigerate.
April 11th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Thanks! This will make up for some idiocy from earlier in the week. Recipes are better than flowers!
I don’t cook. I tend to burn things and use up all the utensils and pans. But Lorna will appreciate anything I glean from here.
April 11th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
When I was a kid a relative used to send us a candied fruit tray every year at Christmas, and I got all the kumquats because nobody else wanted them. I kinda liked the chewiness. You’ve inspired me to watch for fresh ones. I spurge on fresh lichees when they’re in season (and in our big chain grocery store), so I should expand my horizons.
April 11th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Hey, Bobi! Sweet blog! I love kumquats–mostly I candy them, though. They’re gorgeous and delicious that way (if you like candied citrus). I used them as decoration (with festoons of rosemary branches) on a wedding cake, and they looked very baroque and elegant.
April 12th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Hi, Sacchi. I’m so glad I’ve inspired you.
Just remember that sometimes they can be quite tart, so don’t be surprised if you bite into one and that’s what you get. But that’s true of many fruits, isn’t it? Fruit is a gamble, I know that going in, as Jerry Seinfeld once said.
April 12th, 2009 at 6:00 am
Hey, Melynda. Thanks! That wedding cake sounds beautiful. Did you take pictures of it? I’d love to see it.
April 16th, 2009 at 2:10 am
I just need to persuade Sue to make these things for me. Although, I may consider the alcoholic drink one myself. Somehow, if it ends up being drunk, it doesn’t seem like cooking to me so I may tackle it when we’re settled. Great site btw.
April 16th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Hi, Jo! Tell Sue they’re really easy to make. As for the liqueur–SUPER easy. Takes no time at all. I wish I could send everyone I know a sample. LOL
May 8th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
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October 30th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
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