These sure turned out pretty. I think they are just what they should be. I'm not crazy about raw kumquats, and these preserved kumquats are pretty darn sour, but I think they are what preserved kumquats should be. The floral aroma of the rose flower water is the perfect compliment to the sour fruit and sweet honey. I think these would be great with something rich, like pound cake or cheese cake.
My process was based loosely on this recipe. Many of the recipes I researched requested that the kumquats be left whole. As you can see, mine had a lot of seeds. One recipe suggested fishing them out one end of a whole kumquat with some kind of tool. I might be fussy, but I'm not crazy! I cut mine in half to ease seed removal and so the floral design of the segments could show.
Kumquats Preserved in Honey and Rose Water
3 1/2 lbs. kumquats
2 3/4 cups honey
5 cups water
1 cup sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp. rose flower water
Prepare jars, lids and boiling water bath.
Wash the kumquats. Cut them in half and pop out the seeds. Place the kumquats, honey, water, sugar and lemon juice in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer until the kumquats are translucent and the syrup reaches 220 degrees. Remove from heat and skim foam. Stir in the rose flower water. Carefully ladle into prepared jars. Wipe rims and cover with lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes. Carefully remove the jars to a towel lined tray. Let stand over night. Test seals and label.
Makes 6 half pints
Update 2/17/12
I was able to make this again and this time I actually like it - a lot! I made some alterations because the amount of kumquats I had to work with was 2 pounds, rather than 3 1/2. I reasoned that extra honey kumquat syrup could not be a bad idea, so I kept most of the other proportions. I cooked them a little longer and ended up with a gelled syrup rather than a thick, honey like syrup. Here are the changes:
2 lbs. kumquats
2 1/2 cups honey
5 cups water
1 cup sugar
(I omitted the additional lemon juice. It was plenty acidic.)
1 tbsp. rose flower water
Yum!
Update 2/17/12
I was able to make this again and this time I actually like it - a lot! I made some alterations because the amount of kumquats I had to work with was 2 pounds, rather than 3 1/2. I reasoned that extra honey kumquat syrup could not be a bad idea, so I kept most of the other proportions. I cooked them a little longer and ended up with a gelled syrup rather than a thick, honey like syrup. Here are the changes:
2 lbs. kumquats
2 1/2 cups honey
5 cups water
1 cup sugar
(I omitted the additional lemon juice. It was plenty acidic.)
1 tbsp. rose flower water
Yum!
These would be amazing in a Christmas cake... I might have to make some for Christms 2013
ReplyDeleteYum! I would love to see these used in a cake. Do you have a basic recipe that you use?
DeleteHello
ReplyDeleteJust made your amended recipe...love it! The aroma from the Rose water with the citrus is wonderful.
Just wondering....how do you think a little star anise would sit within the other ingredients? Perhaps then serve with a pork dish? Cheers Paul
I'm glad you have enough kumquats in your life to try this! I think that the rose water and honey are somewhat subtle flavors that might be masked by something as strong as star anise. How about you try making a sauce with one of the jars to test it out. I would simmer the jam with one star anise, and test it frequently so that you can fish it out at the right moment. Something tells me that such a sauce might need some shallot, garlic and worcestershire sauce. That sounds like it could be awesome with pork.
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