One of the first things that popped into my mind after I received the kumquats was syrup. I wanted to make a fruity, citrusy syrup to add to my bar. Not only that, I wanted to be able to pour it over pancakes, ice cream, yogurt, basically anything that would benefit from a pop of citrus. Having tasted the kumquats, aside from their great burst of citrus flavor, I thought of Riesling. Hence, Riesling Kumquat Syrup was born.
This process is broken down into two days.
Day 1: After washing the kumquts, thinly slice them and put in a medium sized pot. Add a pint and a half of Riesling and set over high heat. Once it starts boiling, turn down the heat and gently boil for 15 minutes. Cover and put in the fridge over night.
This syrup will be safe to feed to children because all the alcohol will cook out.
Day 2: Take out of the fridge and put on stove top, set to high and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 1 hour. In the meantime, set up your BWB. After an hour, strain the juice over a large bowl. Make sure to get as much of the flavor out of the pulp as possible. Keep stirring and pressing until the skins and pulp look “dry”. Toss the skins and pulp.
You should end up with around 2 cups of juice. I ended up with 1.5 cups. Add water to the juice to equal 2 cups – you can also add any extra riesling but I drank all the left over riesling the night before! HA!
Add juice and 1 cup of sugar to a medium sized pan and set the pan to high heat. You want to boil the syrup until it reaches about 118 (115-118 is ok) on a candy thermometer. Ladle into prepared jars and process for 5 minutes.
I do like the flavor of this syrup however using the Riesling might be a little too sweet for my palate. We’ll see how it mellows out over time. Next time I’m going to try it with Chardonnay since Chardonnay has a more oakey and earthy flavor. Overall, I’m happy with how this turned out and can’t wait to crack into these jars! I’m thinking Riesling Kumquat Macaroons are in the future!
Riesling Kumquat Syrup
Yield: 4-6 quarter pint jars
1 Quart Kumquats
1.5 pints Riesling
1 cup sugar
Day 1
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Slice kumquats and place in a medium sized pot. Add Riesling and gently boil for 15 minutes
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After 15 minutes, cover, and refridgerate overnight
Day 2
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Boil kumquats for about 5 minutes and let stand for an hour
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Prepare BWB
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After an hour has passed, strain kumquats, ensuring that you get all the juices out from the pulp and skins.
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Measure the juice and if you don’t have 2 cups, add water (or Riesling) to equal 2 cups. Pour into medium sized pot and add 1 cup of sugar. Boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Keep boiling until candy thermometer reaches about 118 degrees.
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Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/4″ head space and process for 5 minutes
The Kitchen Coven 