Monday, March 8, 2010

Candied Kumquat Tart

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There was a kumquat tree in my front yard when I was young. Unfortunately, it met the chopping block when my parents re-landscaped the front yard. I’d like to think the gardeners lovingly transplanted the tree elsewhere, but this was the eighties and sustainability wasn’t exactly “in” at the time. Sadly, I didn’t enjoy kumquats when I had an abundance of them at my fingertips. My young taste buds couldn’t appreciate the tartness of the tiny citrus fruit and something about eating the whole thing, rind and all, was off-putting to a six-year-old.

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I’m certain I have eaten a kumquat at some point between the time the tree was removed and now, but the moment escapes me. So, this weekend when there were bags upon bags of kumquats available at the farmers’ market, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try them again.

It turns out that my adult taste buds very much appreciate the balance of sweet and tart along with the convenience of eating the entire fruit, rind and all. In fact, I started popping the little suckers like candy. I knew I needed to make something with them before I worked my way through the whole bag.

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I was already working on a tart crust made primarily of quinoa flour and almond meal for my first experiment in gluten-free cooking. I don’t have any problem digesting gluten, but I have girlfriends who do and to be honest, I was more curious than anything. I still needed something to fill the tart and the kumquats, with their bright orange color, promised to at least make the tart look appetizing if nothing else.

Appetizing indeed. I candied the kumquats which turned out to not only be delicious, but the process actually intensified their orange color. The crust was a partial success. It was tasty and imparted a peanut butter flavor to the tart, but it was a bit crumbly and could have held together better. This may have been my fault for rolling the dough out too thinly in an attempt to stretch it between two tarts. Either way, it was good enough to try again. Will I be giving up my all purpose flour and butter and lard-laden crusts? Absolutely not. But this will be a nice alternate to have on hand, especially when my gluten-free friends are coming over for dinner.

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Candied Kumquat Tart
Crust adapted from a Whole Foods recipe
Filling adapted from Epicurious

Crust
1 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t xanthan gum
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 egg yolk

Filling
1 lb fresh kumquats
1 cup water
2 cups plus
2 T sugar
1 t fennel pollen
2/3 cup ricotta
1/3 cup sour cream

Crust
Place the quinoa flour, almond meal, sugar, xanthan gum and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand, but the butter is not fully incorporated. Form the dough into one disc for a round tart or two oblong discs for two smaller rectangular tarts and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out to the shape of your tart pan. In order to keep the dough gluten-free, use quinoa flour to dust the dough while rolling it out. Transfer the dough to your tart pan and use a fork to prick the crust all over. Bake the crust for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Filling
Thinly slice the kumquats and remove any seeds. Bring the water and 2 cups of sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the kumquats and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the kumquats through a strainer set over a bowl to catch the syrup. Reserve the syrup for another purpose (I’m mixing mine with mineral water for drinks).

Combine the remaining sugar and fennel pollen with the ricotta and the sour cream. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the cooled tart shell. Place the kumquat slices in rows over the filling until the tart is fully covered. The crust is very delicate so slice carefully when serving.

20 comments:

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Wow, lots of unusual ingredients mixed together that I'd never have imagined - fennel pollen with the kumquats and ricotta? Have got to try this. It looks exquisite.

Fresh Local and Best said...

The kumquat tart is beautiful with that deep reddish orange hue. The ingredients in the filling are intriguing.

Through My Kitchen Window said...

This is really handsome looking tart. The candied (I say cumquats) look absolutely luscious. Was it a pain to remove the seeds? I have a cumquat tree and it contains the littlest of seeds which is such a chore when I make my marmalade. I only do it because the end result is so worth it. Congrats, great effort and something for everyone to learn I think.

Sasa said...

A friend of mine has a tree which produces a similar fruit whose name escapes me now - they aren't really fit for eating out of hand but we'll give this recipe a go - we really need to use them up - thank you, I HATE seeing waste, even when it's not in my own kitchen ;P

dana said...

i'm such a philistine - this is the first i hear of fennel pollen! what is its role, what does it taste like? this is such an impressive dessert, those kumquats look to die for!

it made my day to see your comment, thank you so much for visiting!

Anonymous said...

oh, wow. i love the addition of fennel pollen! i've never used it for a sweet application. my stash is running low, so once i replenish i'll definitely try this filling out-sounds wonderful! can you believe i've never had a kumquat? they look so gorgeous, esp. candied.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I covet one of those elegant rectangular tart pans.

Barbara said...

Fennel pollen in the filling? Sounds intriguing! I love the idea of using the kumquats...we have so many of them down here. They look bright and beautiful in your tart!

Choclette said...

What stunning photographs - I love this one but also the beetroot post below.

Ash said...

I seriously love the way this looks!! I need to source me some kumquats!!

molly said...

Kumquats! They are smashing, aren't they? Though I can hardly imagine having a tree in my backyard, holy moly!

Hungry Dog said...

This is stunning. I like kumquats though have never done anything with them. I adore that bright orange color though. And I love that tart pan!

Tracy said...

I had kumquats for the first time last month. They were candied, so I don't think I got the best representation. This tart, however, looks essential for the spring kitchen. The filling sounds delicious. Now if only I could conquer my fear of making tart crusts...

Pity said...

i love kumquats, i just cant stop snacking on them, and this tart looks so delicious, well done, cheers from london

delishhh said...

Love your blog and added you to my blogroll!

Eliana said...

I've never had candied kumquats but they sound delicious and this tart looks so sexy.

Cook with Claire said...

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. After spending the past hour on yours I feel so honored to have had a visit from you! Your pictures are magnificent! I love kumquats and can't wait to try this recipe. I'll have to add you to my "fav links" on my blog. :) Claire

Anonymous said...

Oh yum. I LOVE kumquats.

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

I think I'm in the same kumquat boat. I could swear I've eaten kumquats, but have no memory of it. I'd like to try your tart, perhaps with a different crust, since you weren't in love with this one. The kumquats look so pretty and I like pairing them with a ricotta based filling. I'm not familiar with fennel pollen, but I'm intrigued. Thanks.

thai singles said...

i love kumquats, i just cant stop snacking on them, and this tart looks so delicious, well done, cheers