A 6th Century Chinese herbal tells us of the custom of presenting visitors with a small tree shimmering with edible jewels. Its name was “give-guest orange”: the kumquat.
Introduced to Europe in the 19th Century, the trees were set as ornaments on fashionable tables, and give-guest oranges were plucked from the centerpiece for nibbling. This lovely notion drifted back to the Orient, with the refinement that centerpieces of bonsai kumquat trees invite the diners’ pleasure.
Kumquats brighten a season when there’s little interesting fruit. One sort of kumquat or another is ripe from mid-November through spring.
Probably native to eastern Asia and the Malay Peninsula, kumquat fruits are a yin-yang mix of honeyed skin and tangy flesh (botanically, they’re a berry).
There’s a trick to coaxing the most sweetness from a kumquat when eating it fresh: Gently roll it back and forth in the palms of your hands until softened. This releases sugars from the peel and blends them into the tangy pulp. (Try it, then eat an unrolled kumquat of the same batch. Amazing.) You can also cheat, nipping off an end, squeezing out some juice, thus making the flavor sweeter. As for seeds, there aren’t many, and they’re small enough not to notice.
Some kumquats are sweeter than others. Oval to round Meiwa is considered the best for eating fresh. Oval Nagami is best for preserving. Changshou fruits are tear-shaped, the size of small plums. Developed in China, they’re a cross between a kumquat and mandarin orange, although the flavor is sweetest kumquat. Changshou is the favorite of kumquat fanciers these days. Ask for them in Asian markets.
In a cool place, firm kumquats stay pristine for a couple of weeks. For longer keeping, the Chinese have a centuries-old tradition of preserving the fruits in honey. Use honeyed kumquats as the basis for fresh fruit cups as fruits come into season.
The Chinese and Japanese also preserve kumquats in sugar. Simply layer halves of kumquats in a clean jar with sugar. If you want to drop in a teaspoon of brandy or rum to each pint, the alcohol will act as a starter. Ladle the fruit hot as a sauce over your favorite ice cream or pudding.
You can drop the kumquats whole into the honey or sugar if you’d rather, but halving fruits makes the interior accessible to the preserving compound. There’s no chance of botulism with either method, by the way. Because of the pronounced acidity of the fruit (increased by the acidity of honey), the worst that can happen is that the stuff ferments. This once happened to my kumquat honey-it tasted powerfully winey. But the result of alcoholic fermentation is safe to eat.
Small shapes of luminous color, kumquats are as beautiful as they are delicious. I’ve recently discovered a decorative use for them: Crystallize kumquats with bunches of red grapes, lady apples and Seckel pears. Together, their diminutive size, warm colors and sensuous curves make an exquisite centerpiece or arrangement for a gift basket.
Beat an egg white just until loosened. With a small, flat paintbrush, paint every nook and cranny of a piece of fruit or bunch of grapes with egg white. Set the fruit in a bowl and douse with superfine sugar, turning the fruit until it’s completely covered. If there are bare patches, brush them with egg white and sugar them again.
As you finish each piece, set it on a cake rack to dry. Don’t hurry this part. Give it a few hours, at least. The fruit is ready to arrange when the sugar is snowy-opaque. If the air is dry and the fruit kept in a cool place out of sunlight, the finish and fruit will last weeks. My arrangement is a month old and only the grapes show signs of their sugar dissolving.
Either buy superfine sugar or pulverize granulated sugar in the blender. For years I crystallized fruit with granulated sugar, but superfine makes fruit look as though it came straight from Jack Frost’s garden.
Past their physical charms, kumquats are a natural for turning into sunny marmalades, preserves and sweet pickles. And here each Christmas we wait for a friend’s gift of kumquat chutney. The recipe is her secret, but I’ll bet you can substitute halves of kumquats for the coarsely chopped fruit in any orange or lemon chutney recipe.
The tangy-sweetness of kumquats makes them a natural for garnishing meats. The French are partial to kumquats roasted with duck. Any recipe using orange flesh and skin can be adapted to whole kumquats. And an English writer suggests using kumquats in recipes in place of preserved ginger.
Give-guest oranges? By all means. Here are two ways.
KUMQUAT HONEY
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 cups
In pairing kumquats and honey, remember that honey has its own assertive flavor, so the milder the taste, the better balance. Unfiltered honey from orange blossoms is ideal.
1 1/2 cups (packed) thinly sliced or chopped ripe kumquats, seeds removed (about 1/2 pound)
1 cup unfiltered orange blossom honey
1. Combine kumquats and honey in 1-quart microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on low (30 percent) power for 3 minutes. Or, cook over, but not touching, barely simmering water for 5 minutes.
2. Turn into a clean, decorative 1-pint jar. Cover with its lid and store in a cool place. Stir to blend before serving.
WINTER PARTY COMPOTE
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 to 18 servings
I love adding the glowing color, orange-y flavor and slightly crunchy texture of kumquats to fruit cups. This wintry compote is easy and festive-chunks of crimson and gold with a flavor that’s spicy bright. And it’s lean, meant to finish a rich dinner for guests. A little sherry gives depth. Serve it hot plopped with something cold and creamy, or spoon it as a thick hot sauce over vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. Pecan halves give a handsome finish.
3 cups (generous 1/2 pound) halved small kumquats (cut through the narrowest part)
3 cups (1 pound) slices of individually frozen peaches, cut in bite-size pieces
4 cups ( 3/4 pound) fresh cranberries
2 1/2 cups ( 3/4 pound) individually frozen, pitted, dark sweet cherries
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, ground cardamom
1/2 cup unfiltered orange blossom honey, or to taste
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream sherry, or to taste
1 cup (3 ounces) toasted pecan halves
For serving:
Sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use your hands to mix the fruits and spices in a big bowl. Heat 1/2 cup honey until thinned, add to the fruit and stir with a wooden spoon until blended.
2. Turn into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Cut butter over fruit in thin flakes. Cover with foil, shiny side down. Bake 1 hour.
3. Remove the foil and stir. Blend in the sherry, then taste for sweetness. At this point, the compote can be refrigerated a day or two, then heated in the microwave or a low oven for serving. Serve hot or warm, each portion finished with 4 or 5 pecan halves and topped with whipped cream or creme fraiche. Or, use as a topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt.
