Celebrate the kumquat

The fruit works well in a variety of recipes once you know what to do with it. Glean ideas - and pick up a pint or two - at the upcoming Kumquat Festival in Dade City.

By Janet K. Keeler, Times Food and Travel Editor
Published January 16, 2008

The annual Kumquat Festival is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 26 in downtown Dade City. Admission is free. For more information, call (352) 567-3769 or go to www.kumquatfestival.org.

The Kumquat Growers host an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 25 at the packing house, 31647 Gude Road, St. Joseph. Admission is free. For more information, go to www.kumquatgrowers.com.

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Funny thing about the funny little kumquat.

It looks like an itty-bitty orange but it's really an itty-bitty inside-out orange. The flesh inside is tart and the outside peel is sweet so there's no need to worry about how to strip off the thin skin. You eat it all, except for the two bitter seeds inside.

To get rid of those, cut the fruit in half and squeeze. Use the tip of a sharp knife to gently coax them out if they are stubborn. The seeds lose some of their bad attitude when cooked, so that's why some recipes, especially those in which they are roasted with meat, call for kumquats to be used whole.

St. Joseph in Pasco County is the leading Florida producer of kumquats, and the bounty from the trees there is celebrated and sold at the annual Kumquat Festival in Dade City. The 11th version of the outdoor fest is Jan. 26.

You can expect the usual multiple stages of live entertainment, 5K run and walk, and crafts, plus a car and truck show among other activities. But if you don't know what to do with a kumquat, check out the food and seek out the booth that sells the festival cooking contest cookbook. There you'll find plenty of recipes, many of them developed by North Suncoast cooks who know the fruit well.

Here's a quick guide for experimenting at home: Think of the kumquat as you do a lemon or lime. Though you'd be hard-pressed to get enough juice for kumquatade. If you want to add zest to a vinaigrette or a pound cake, slice a kumquat thinly and toss it all in (don't forget to excise the bitter seeds first). Much easier than gingerly zesting a lemon.

Use pureed kumquats in marinades, relishes and sauces and sweet baked goods. Puree kumquats by washing, cutting in half to remove seeds and dropping into a food processor.

Have a favorite banana bread recipe? Substitute the mashed, ripe bananas with about 3/4 cup of pureed kumquats.

Dried kumquats can stand in for raisins and dried cranberries.

(Dry kumquats in a dehydrator or in your oven. For oven preparation, seed and chop the fruit. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in a 180-degree oven for several hours or until the kumquats are the consistency of moist raisins. Freeze what you don't use right way.)

Look for kumquats in plastic pint containers in the produce section of your grocery store. They should be vibrant orange and firm. Green indicates they are a tad underripe, and if they are faint orange they may be past their prime. They are in season from November to mid March.

For about $3 a pint, you can have a whole new taste treat. They're so cute, you've got to give them a try.

Information from Times files was used in this report. Janet K. Keeler can be reached at jkeeler@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8586.

Chicken with Kumquats

4 chicken breasts

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 small green pepper chopped

1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks with juice

8 or 9 sliced or whole kumquats

- Place chicken in a casserole dish. Mix all ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

Serves 4.

Source: Florida Kumquat Growers

Kumquats, Dates and Shaved Parmesan Salad

5 to 8 kumquats

4 handfuls baby arugula

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

4 dates, pitted and diced

1/4 cup Parmesan shavings (made with a vegetable peeler)

For dressing:

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

- Slice the kumquats into thin rounds, discarding the seeds.

- Combine the arugula, parsley, dates and kumquats in a large serving bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss. Top with shaves of Parmesan.

Serves 4.

Source: Florida Kumquat Growers

[Last modified January 15, 2008, 12:33:11]