Sweet and Spicy fruit condiment to brighten any dish
Kumquat season is almost over, but lately I’ve seen them everywhere. And I was curious how it would taste as a chutney.
If you’ve never had a kumquat, you can find them at Asian grocery stores or a specialty store like Whole Foods.
They look like teeny oblong oranges that you can pop in your mouth whole, because the peel is meant to be eaten.
Image source: http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kumquat.jpeg
Kumquats create an intricate explosion of flavor in your mouth from sweet to tart to slightly bitter back to sweet again.
If you want the kumquats to last past their season, make a large batch of chutney and freeze it in individual portions for later use.
I LOVE chutney, which is basically a mix of fruit, vinegar, sweetener, and spices. I wanted to make a chutney out of kumquats because I suspected they would add a delightful complexity of flavor to delicate and bland dishes like roasted white fish.
You can also eat this stuff straight like it’s dessert. If you love complex, unusual flavors, you will love this dish.
A note about the photograph. I took it at night because I knew this dish wouldn’t last till the natural light of the morning. We ate it all in one night.I’m currently upgrading my photo skills so my dishes look as sexy as they taste.
So if you’re into food porn (also known as eating with your eyes), I hope you stay with me as my photos evolve.
I want the look of my dishes to match the off the charts taste.
My blog is about giving up perfectionism in the kitchen and rocking a child-like attitude of curiosity and play! So I hope you don’t mind the imperfection of this photo.
So without further ado….I bring you kumquat chutney.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon of raw honey
1 apple chopped
1 inch of ginger, skinned and finely chopped (can use powdered ginger if you don’t have fresh)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
Chopped jalapeno or Serrano pepper (quantity depends on spice tolerance, I love spice and use 1/4 of a small hot pepper)
20 to 25 Kumquats, chopped and de-seeded (the seeds are bitter)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of balsamic or apple cider vinegar.
1/4 cup of water
How to
Cut kumquats in quarters or smaller and remove the seeds
Saute ginger, garlic, apples and jalapeno in butter
Add kumquats and cook for a few minutes, then add in honey and vinegar.
Add water and let it cook down on low medium heat.
Keep adding water if it evaporates quickly.
When the kumquats get quite soft the chutney is done.
You can experiment with sprinkling a little bit of salt onto a small portion to see if that brings out the flavor even more.
Serve on mild white fish, or with lamb chops. Also, delicious over veggies or with cheese and Paleo crackers. Great eaten alone!!
If you prefer a puree instead of a chunky chutney, throw it in a food processor and pulse a few times until it reaches the consistency you like.
Enjoy this curious citrus fruit!
