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Riesling Kumquat Syrup

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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
  1. Slice kumquats and place in a medium sized pot.  Add Riesling and gently boil for 15 minutes
  2. After 15 minutes, cover, and refridgerate overnight
Day 2
  1. Boil kumquats for about 5 minutes and let stand for an hour
  2. Prepare BWB
  3. After an hour has passed, strain kumquats, ensuring that you get all the juices out from the pulp and skins.
  4. 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.
  5. Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/4″ head space and process for 5 minutes


Marmalade Basted Chicken

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I love to make a good baste with marmalade and 3 Citrus Marmalade is just the right one!  The sugars in the marmalade creates a lovely crust over cooked meat because it caramelizes under the heat.  The best way to cook this is to cook in the broiler (in the winter) or over the grill (in the summer).

 

To get the most flavor injected into your meat, poke holes with a fork through out the meat, then brush on the marmalade baste.  I like to brush on the baste to marinade the meat (in this case chicken) for about an hour before I fire it up.  When I throw the meat in the grill or under the broiler, I flip the meat every 3-5 minutes and brush on a new layer of baste every time I flip the meat.  I find that 15-20 minutes is the perfect amount of time for chicken.  When the chicken is done, you will have a lovely caramelized crust and when you cut into the chicken, you will find the chicken very moist.  

Oops, I almost forgot to take a “finished” picture! Excuse the messy plate.  I had to take the picture before the last pieces were taken!
 
Marmalade Marinade & Baste

Yield: Enough for 1 pork loin or 4 servings chicken

1/8 cup 3 Citrus Marmalade
1/8 cup olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder to taste
1/8 cup of orange vinegar, or to taste

  1. Combine marmalade and olive oil in a small bowl, whisk with fork until emulsified. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste. Add orange vinegar to loosen up the baste.
  2. Whisk
  3. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add more olive oil or vinegar to make it to the consistency you prefer.

Preserved Kumquats

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In “Canning for a New Generation”, Liana Krissoff has a recipe for a drink called the Kumquat Knickerbocker.  I have been pining for this drink since I bought the book and I finally bit the bullet.  Being a fan of kumquats, I decided to go all in and order 5 pounds from Beck Grove.  This recipe is a sweet preserve, preserving the kumquats in sugar.  the method is fairly easy as you keep the kumquats whole, only cutting two small slits in each.  This is my first year preserving kumquats, so it shall be interesting to see how the preserved kumquats come out. and how I decide to incorporate them into my recipes.  My mind is already churning on how to use these little guys and not just for my liquor cabinet!  I’m thinking pork, duck, lamb, chicken, and even venison! 

Preserved Kumquats

From Canning for a New Generation

Yield:  4 half pint jars

1.5 pounds Kumquats
2 cups sugar
3 cups water

  1. Prep work area per “Kitchen Tactics:  Boiling Water Bath Canning”
  2. With a paring knife, cut off the blossom end and slice two slits in each kumquat.  Place them in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, boil for 5 minutes, then drain.  Repeat 2 more times for a total of 3 times.
  3. In a large pot combine 3 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar, bring to a boil, and stir to dissolve the sugar. 
  4. Add the kumquats and return to a boil.  Skim off any foam, lower heat, and simmer until kumquats are translucent and glossy and the syrup is thick and reduced until it just covers the kumquats, about 30 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat, stir to distribute the fruit, and ladle the hot kumquats and syrup into the hot jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace.
  6. Process for 10 minutes. 
Mmmmm, can’t wait to try that drink!

Kitchen Tactics: Eating a Fresh Kumquat

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I know what you’re thinking, “Does this woman think we are idiots?  How hard is it to eat a kumquat?!”  Trust me on this, there is a technique.  If you just pop a kumquat into your mouth like a grape, chances are you are going to make a face like this:

GIFSoup


You see, kumquats are kind of like a miniature inside out orange and these little buggars pack a punch.  The skin is lovely and sweet, the pulp is sour and tart.  If you don’t eat a fresh kumquat correctly, you will miss out on the delicate sweetness of the skin and how it plays with the tartness of the pulp.

You want to roll the kumquat around in your fingers until it become pliable and soft and the essential oils are leeching out of the skin and covers your fingers.  Bite off the blossom end of the fruit (you can eat it but I spit it out).

Suck out the juice and pulp (spit out the seeds), using your teeth to flatten out the kumquat as you go, then nibble on the rind until it is all gone.  There you have it!  The proper way of eating a fresh kumquat that gives you a lovely all around citrus flavor.

GIFSoup

Bar Top: Frozen Pomelo Minty Margarita

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Now this is a margarita you can eat with a spoon!

This is quite a yummy take on margaritas and my own special concoction!  Since pomelos are pretty fibrous and not very juicy, this margarita is best serve frozen.  Remember the left over  mint syrup we had from canning the grapefruit in minty syrup?  We are going to use it here (see, I told you not to throw it out!).

First, you will segment your pomelo.  Now that you have your pomelo ready to go, you will need the following:  Tequila, cointreau, fresh lime, minty syruip, pomelo segments, ice, bar shaker, shot measure, and a blender.

Ignore everything in the background…I have a small kitchen, ok!

In your bar shaker, throw in a small handful of pomelo segments, add about a 1/2 oz cointreau (or triple sec), 1/4 oz minty syrup (or to taste),  juice from half a lime, and 2oz of tequila (oh, who are we kidding?  Make that 3!).  Place the top on your bar shaker and give it a good shake.  Next, throw a few ice cubes in there, pour into your blender and whir it up into an adult slushy.  Rim your gass with kosher salt, pour in your margarita, and enjoy!
haha, you can see some lemon zest drying in the background – oh, and my very sad basil plant…
Frozen Pomelo Mint Margarita
Generous pinch pomelo segments
1/2 oz cointreau or triple sec
1/4 oz of minty syrup or to taste
Juice from half a lemon
2 oz tequila
Kosher salt
  1. In your bar shaker add pomelo segments, cointreau, minty syrup, juice from half a lime, and tequila.  Give it a good shake.  Add a few ice cubes, pour into blender, and blend well.
  2. Rim a glass with kosher salt, pour in glass, and enjoy!

    

    Don’t Waste That: Citrus Peels

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    I hate waste of any kind.  If I throw something out I feel so ashamed and guilty.  Some people may call me cheap but when something is perfectly fine, I try to find another use for it.  One thing that has a lot of uses are citrus peels.  I save them.  All of them.  If I take an orange to work, I wrap up the orange peel in a paper towel and bring it home – I know, I know.  I can feel your judging eyes.  If I use the juice of a lemon or lime in a recipe, I save the peel. 

    These last few weeks I’ve been eating an orange a day and I’ve been saving those peels for another use:  Orange Vinegar.

    When I make orange vinegar for eating, I always zest the orange because the pith will give the vinegar a bitter taste.  Add the orange zest to a quart jar, fill with vinegar, and steep. 

    After it’s steeped for a good amount of time (a month or more; taste it to make sure it’s at the flavor you want), strain and bottle.  This vinegar is yummy in a lot of things: adding it in marinades, adding to sauteed greens, using it in a salad dressing.  The possibilities are endless.

    Another tip: do not throw the pith out after you zest it.  Throw the pith down your garbage disposal, turn it on, and it will help disinfect and clean it!


    If I can’t get around to using the peel right away, I save them in my citrus peel bag.  My citrus peel bag has peels from an assortment of citrus that I keep in my freezer.

    Limes, Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruit, you name it it’s in here!

    My citrus peel bag is specifically for making citrus cleaning vinegar.  I do not remove the zest from the pith.  I just fill up a quart jar with the reserved frozen peel, fill the quart jar up with white vinegar, give it a good shake, and let it steep on my window sill.

    I let them steep for a long while; usually I forget about them.  When I think the vinegar is ready I strain and bottle it. 

    See how pale the peels are?  that’s what we’re shooting for!

    I fill up a squeezie bottle with citrus cleaning vinegar to use as a rinse in my dishwasher and I also half it with water to use it as a cleaning solution in a spray bottle.  I label it Cleaning Vinegar.

    No, it doesn’t look tasty…& it’s not!  This solution is simply for cleaning!

    Homemade Extracts

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    I do *a lot* of baking hence I use quite a bit of extract.  Extracts can be so expensive to buy in the stores; $3 or more for a tiny bottle of extract.  Because of this, I have started making my own.  My very first extract that I ever made was vanilla extract.  This year, I’m going to make four:  Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, and Vanilla.  I’m a little little nervous about the grapefruit extract because I don’t generally like the taste of grapefruit peel, I find it too bitter, but the cost to make homemade extracts is negligible so I’m going for it!


    For extracts I like to use quarter pints.  I feel like using anything larger makes too much extract and wastes a perfectly good jar.

    For the citrus extract:  I just took the zest off of 2 lemons, 1 orange, and half a grapefruit and put them in their respective jars.  Fill it up with vodka (90 proof), cover, shake, and keep in a dark place.  Shake every so often.  After a month or so, check the extracts.  If they are at the flavor of your liking, strain and bottle.  If you would like, if it’s too bitter, you can add a teeny, tiny bit of sugar to the extract. 

    For the vanilla extract:  I cut the ends off of three vanilla beans and sliced them down the middle.  I then cut them into fourths.  I placed the bean in the jar and filled the jar with vodka, cover, shake, and keep in a dark place.  Shake every so often.  I don’t strain the vanilla bean when the extract is ready to use.  When I bottle the extract, I keep a vanilla bean or two in the bottle.

    Top Left: Lemon; Top Right: Orange; Bottom Left: Grapefruit; Bottom Right: Vanilla

    Preserved Oranges

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    Remember when we did Preserved Lemons?  Well, you can do the same thing with oranges (and limes and gragefruit, basically any citrus)!  I don’t use preserved oranges as much as preserved lemons but they are great for a well stocked home bar.  You know all those annoying drink recipes that call for a “twist of orange” and you’re like, “Damn it!  I’m not going to buy an orange just for a twist!”  I just replace that twist with a sliver of preserve orange rind!  It gives your drink the same oomph as a fresh twist and you don’t have to do without; plus, you can eat the rind!



    Preserved Oranges

    Ingredients

    4 Oranges
    4 T Kosher Salt

    Directions

    1. Slice 4 oranges into eights – maybe smaller depending on how big you want your slices to be and how big your oranges are
    2. In a sterile quart jar, sprinkle about a half tablespoon (I use one generous pinch) into the bottomof the jar.  Lay around 6-8 slices into the jar and push them down until they start to express their juices.
    3. Sprinkle half a tablespoon over the layer of orange slices
    4. Repeat layering oranges and kosher salt until you fill the quart jar up to the neck.
    5. Let oranges sit on your counter for 24 hours.  After 24 hours, fill the quart with fresh orange juice, ensuring that you cover the oranges.
    6. Let the oranges sit for a week.
    7. Label and place in the fridge.  After a week in the fridge, check your oranges.  If they have expanded add more juice to cover.  They will keep about a year in the fridge.

    Three Citrus Marmalade

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    I’ve always been on the fence about marmalade.  Some commercial marmamalades are too tart, some are too bitter, and some are too sweet.  There are hardly any that I could find that I really truely liked.  So, when I recieved Eugenia Bone’s book Well-Preserved, it surprised me that I really wanted to try her Three Citrus Marmalade.  It sounded so good on the page.  Yes, the very first jam I ever made was a marmalade (what can I say?  I’m an overachiever!).  It was hell.  I stayed up until 4 am making it…but you know what?  The next day when I tried some of the excess marmalade with toast, it was amazing.  The.  Best.  Marmalade.  Ever.  Having a mix of three different citrus really balances out the individual strong flavors of all the citrus.  I really want you to make this marmalade.  Really.


    The name of the marmalade says it all:  Three Citrus.  You can use any three citrus you want just be sure to use oranges and lemons.  You can use ruby red grapefruit, seville oranges, navel oranges, cara-cara oranges, meyer lemons, ponderosa lemons, etc; as long as you stay with the ratio 1 grapefruit:  3 oranges: 2 lemons  For this batch, I used a pomelo, 3 navel oranges, and 2 lemons.  The easiest way to make this marmalade is in two days.  If you break it down into two days, you won’t be up until the wee hours of the morning finishing the marmalade.

     
    On the first day, once you have scrubbed and dried your citrus, you want to peel each citrus in as large of pieces as you can get.  It’s easiest to do this with a paring knife.  A paring knife will allow you to make equal sizes of peel.  You’ll then cut off as much pith from the peel as possible. 
     
     
    Once you have the citrus peel cleaned.  You will cut the citrus peel into small matchsticks until you have one cup.  I don’t like the taste of grapefruit peel so I leave it out (I find it too bitter) but I alternate between lemon and orange peel so that I have an equal amount of both.  Some people like all orange, some people like all lemon.  It’s really up to you and what you enjoy.

    In a medium pot, add the slivers of rind and cover with 3 cups of water.  Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes.  Do not drain.

     
    

     You will cut the citrus in half across the equator and pop out any seeds.  Using your food processor, blend up the citrus into a pulp.  At this point you want to measure your pulp.  However much pulp you end up with, you will add that much sugar on day 2.  I had 4 cups of pulp. 

    Pour this pulp into the pot with the rinds and water.  You will stir this up, cover, and put in the fridge overnight.

    On day two, transfer the pulp mixture into a wide heavy pot.  Add the sugar in accordance with how many cups of pulp you ended up with the night before (I added 3 cups, 4 cups is just too sweet for me) and a teaspoon of butter (the butter will help the marmalade from foaming up).   Cook over medium low heat until your candy thermometer reaches 220 degrees.

    You will need to prepare at least 4 half pint jars.  I always have extra with this recipe, however, so I always prepare 5-6 half pints.  I ended up with 5 half pints and an 1/8 of a cup that I poured in a ramekin to put in the fridge.  Process using BWB for 10 minutes

     
    
     
    
    Three Citrus Marmalade
     
     
    Yield:  4 half pints
     
    1 Grapefruit
    3 Oranges
    2 Lemons
    3 cups of sugar
    1 teaspoon of butter
     
    Day 1
    1. Peel citrus in as big of pieces as possible.  Cut most of the white pith off of the rind.  Cut the rind, alternating between citrus peel, into little match stick until you have 1 cup.  Pour rind into a medium pot, cover the rind with 3 cups of water and cook at medium high heat for 25 minutes.  Do  not drain.
    2. Cut the citrus in half across the equator, pop out the seeds, and grind in your food processor until you have a thick consistent pulp.
    3. Measure the pulp and take a mental note of how many cups you had.
    4. Pour the pulp into the pot with the citrus rinds, cover, and put in fridge to rest overnight
    Day 2
     
    1. Prepare 6 half pint jars per “Kitchen Tactics:  Boiling Water Bath Canning”
    2. Pour pulp mixture into large, wide pot.  Add 1 cup of sugar to 1 cup of pulp.
    3. Add 1 teaspoon of butter
    4. Cook over medium low heat until candy thermometer reaches 220.
    5. Pour into prepared half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
    6. Process for 10 minutes
    

    Grapefruit in Minty Syrup

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    My friends at Pearson Ranch California Oranges helped me out again.  Right now they have a combo citrus pack with 10 pounds Oros Blancos and 8 pounds Pomelos.

    The other “grapefruit” are Pomelos

    Oros Blancos are the smaller grapefruit.  They are a very light yellow and their fruit is a golden color.  They are much sweeter and not as tart nor as sour as Ruby Red or Pink Grapefruit.  They are a lovely mild grapefruit that is sweet at the front on your tongue but mildly tart once it hits the back.  These would be a great grapefruit for those of you that do not enjoy the brash tartness of the Ruby Reds.

    I wanted to can enough to last me a year or more, so I ended up canning all ten pounds of Oros Blancos in heavy mint syrup.

    First you want to fill your canning pot with water and add the specific number of 1/2 pint jars to the pot (I needed 8).  You will need to sterilize the jars first because these segments will only be in the BWB for 5 minutes.

    While your canning pot is coming to a boil, you will want to wash and scrub your grapefruit.  Remember the post I did about segmenting citrus?  Well, we are going to do that.  To all 10 pounds (yes, you can start cursing at me now.  Ok, ok, I won’t make you do 10 pounds, I’ll just make you do 5).

    Once you segment all the fruit, you’ll have a bowl full of lovely grapefruit segments!

    Try not to eat them all before you can them!

    Next you are going to make your heavy minty syrup (the syrup you make for this doesn’t have to be heavy.  That’s the beauty of canning yourself, you can make the syrup however you want).  The original recipe called for fresh mint but since it’s winter, I used dried mint; 2 tablespoons in a cheesecloth spice bag.  Holding the fruit back, tip the bowl over into a 4 cup measuring cup to pour out all the grapefruit juice.  Fill the water until you have 4 cups of liquid.  Pour this grapefruit juice/water mixture into a medium saucepan and add 2 cups of sugar to your mint.  Bring the syrup to a boil, cover, and simmer until you get the minty taste you want; I simmered it for about 20-25 minutes.  If your jars have not sterilized by this time, take the mint spice bag out of the syrup and toss it, then keep the syrup simmering until you are ready to can.

    Now that your jars are sterilized, place your 1/2 pint jars on a placemat or towel.  Working quickly fill the hot jars with your grapefruit segments leaving about a 1/2 inch head space.  Then ladle your simmering syrup into the jars up to about 1/4 inch head space.

    As you can see, I ended up with a yield of (7) 1/2 pints of grapefruit and (1) 1/2 pint of minty syrup and then some extra that I’m not canning.  I will can the 1/2 pint and place it in my liquor cabinet.  There are plenty of drinks we can make with the minty syrup!  Stay tuned!

    Run a chopstick around the fruit to release air bubbles, wipe the rims with a damp paper towel, top with lid and ring, and place in your BWB.  Once the pot starts to boil, start your time for 5 minutes.  After the 5 minutes are up, turn off the heat, and let the jars sit in the pot for 5 minutes.  Place on a place mat or towel on your counter.  After an hour check the seals, if they have not sealed, place in the fridge and eat within the next two weeks.  If they have successfully sealed, let them sit undisturbed overnight.  Take off ring, wipe down with a damp towl, label, and place in a dark cabinet until ready to eat.

    DO NOT THROW OUT THE EXTRA MINT SYRUP THAT WASN’T CANNED!!!  Bottle it and put it in the fridge!  We will revisit the mint syrup later!

    Grapefruit in Minty Syrup

    Adapted from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff

    Yield:  4 half pints

    5 Pounds grapefruit
    1 Cup sugar
    2 Tablespoons dried mint placed in cheesecloth spice bag

    1. Sterilize your jars and keep them hot in the canning pot.  Follow BWB canning procedure as per “Kitchen Tactics:  Boiling Water Bath Canning”
    2. Segment your grapefruit per “Kitchen Tactics:  Segmenting Citrus”
    3. Holding your grapefruit segments back, pour the collected juice into a 2 cup measuring cup.
    4. Add enough water to make 2 cups liquid.
    5. Pour into a medium saucepan and add 1 cup sugar and mint spice bag.
    6. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Lower heat and simmer until you get the minty flavor you desire.  Fish out the spice bag.
    7. Working quickly, fill sterilized jars with grapefruit segments leaving 1/2 inch head space
    8. Ladle the boiling syrup over the segments leaving a 1/4 inch head space.
    9. Use a chopstick to remove air bubbles, wipe rim with a damp towel, put the lid and ring on the jar, and place jar in your canning pot.  Ensure that you have at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
    10. Process for 5 minutes.  Shut off heat and let the jar sit in the hot water for 5 minutes.
    11. Check seals after one hour; if they have sealed, place in fridge immediately.  Label sealed jars and store.