The Way We Eat: Skin Deep

By Amanda Hesser

Published: February 26, 2006,
©The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/magazine/26food.html

Mitchell Feinberg

I am about to encourage you to buy and cook a fruit that is probably not available in your grocery store. But before you dismissively turn the page, consider this: If it weren't for stories about once-hard-to-find ingredients like extra-virgin olive oil, prosciutto and fresh thyme, we would still be trying to make something edible out of canned peas.

Forum: Cooking and Recipes

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Now that that's settled, let's talk about kumquats. The size and shape of a large olive, the kumquat is like an orange in reverse, with a sweet skin and tart pulp. So you don't have to peel the kumquat; you simply eat the entire fruit. Thus its brilliance.

Need to add some zest to a salad? No more straining your knife skills by segmenting an orange. Just slice a kumquat into thin rounds and toss them in. Need to add acidity to a braise of pork, duck or lamb? Drop kumquats in whole during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Need an easy dessert? Simmer them in sugar syrup until tender, and watch as they become translucent and deflate like tiny tires as they cool; serve the softened kumquats with cheese. Slice them in half horizontally, dip their ends in egg white followed by a mixture of raw sugar and cinnamon and freeze them. They turn into sweet-tart ice cubes. Or just pile them in a bowl and pass them around after dinner.

Kumquats, which are not citrus fruits but belong to another genus, originated in China and have been cultivated across Asia for centuries. They inspired some unorthodox grafting techniques: in "The Oxford Companion to Food," Alan Davidson cites this bit of instruction from the "Book of Nabatean Agriculture," a 10th-century Iraqi text: "The branch which is to be grafted must be in the hand of a beautiful damsel, whilst a male person has disgraceful and unnatural sexual intercourse with her; during intercourse the woman grafts the branch into the tree."

Modern growers have streamlined the cultivation process somewhat. Although kumquats have been in America for more than 150 years, Helene Beck of Beck Groves in Fallbrook, Calif., says that when she decided to plant them, about 25 years ago, "the nursery was happy to have someone who would buy their kumquat trees." And the owners of the nearby orange and lemon groves were pleased to see one less competitor.

Now the Becks harvest more than 300,000 pounds of kumquats a year and offer tastings at their local farmer's market and in specialty-grocery stores. Many people squirm and pucker when they put a kumquat in their mouths — for those expecting a miniature orange, the first taste is a bit of a shock. But then, Beck says, "there are those who know about it, and they will just gobble them down and feel heroic."

It is difficult not to love: the kumquat is like a tidy orange. You get the punch of zest and sweetness without a lot of drippy juice. And this is why it is terrific for cooking. Most kumquats you see in America are nagami kumquats, the oval variety, but there is talk of the meiwa, a rounder, sweeter variety, making a run at the nagami. California kumquats are grown from January through June and are at their best during March and April. Kumquats from Florida, where the growing season begins in November, are harvested until mid-March. (They are grown in other states as well.)

Organic and biodynamic kumquats from Beck Groves are $4 a pound, plus shipping, and come in 10-, 20- or 25-pound boxes; www.lavignefruits.com. There is no need to buy more than five pounds of kumquats, and many farms, like Beck Groves, also grow varieties of citrus, so if you order a large box, you can get a mix of fruits, which, if stored in a cool place, will last for weeks. By then you might even be used to them.

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Salad of Kumquats, Dates and Shaved Parmesan 

5 kumquats
4 handfuls baby arugula
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 Medjool dates, pitted and diced
¼ cup Parmesan shavings (made +++with a vegetable peeler)
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, kumquats and Parmesan in a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss. Serves 4.

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Shrimp With Pineapple and Pickled Kumquats(This recipe is worth the two-day wait for pickling.)
1 cup white-wine vinegar
2 cardamom pods
12 kumquats
1 ½ tablespoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of piment d'Espelette, Aleppo pepper or toasted and ground red-pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sautéing
1/3 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 cup frisée or other bitter or spicy greens, torn into small pieces
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt
10 sprigs thyme.

1. To pickle the kumquats, bring the vinegar to a boil in a small pan. Add the cardamom pods. Put the kumquats in a heatproof container, then pour in the vinegar mixture. Let cool, then refrigerate for 2 days.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and 3 tablespoons of the kumquat vinegar. Season with black pepper and piment d'Espelette. Whisk in the olive oil.
3. Thinly slice 6 pickled kumquats and remove the seeds; set aside. Thinly slice the pineapple cubes. (You need only 12 slices total.) In a mixing bowl, combine the frisée, pineapple and pickled kumquats.
4. Place the shrimp in a bowl and season generously with salt; add the thyme and toss. Heat a large cast-iron pan until almost smoking, then pour in enough oil to thinly coat the base. Carefully add the shrimp and thyme and brown on both sides until just cooked through, about 2 minutes; discard the thyme. Transfer to the bowl with the frisée. Pour in just enough vinaigrette to coat (about half) and toss. Divide among 4 plates. Serves 4. Adapted from John Fraser at Compass.

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Braised Duck With Green Olives and Kumquats 

1 5-pound duck, quartered
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup white wine
2 fresh bay leaves
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
12 kumquats
8 green Cerignola olives.

1. Season the duck with salt and pepper. Lightly coat the base of a large braising pan with olive oil. Lay the duck skin side down in the pan, place over medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Strain off the fat and continue to cook over medium heat until the skin is dark and crisp, another 30 minutes. Transfer the duck to a plate.
2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan; add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion wilts. Add the wine and reduce over high heat until syrupy; add the bay leaves. Return the duck to the pan, skin side up, then pour in enough broth to cover it by two-thirds. Tuck the kumquats and olives into the broth, cover and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Let the duck cool in the broth, then remove the duck, kumquats, olives, onions and bay leaves and set aside. Skim the fat from the broth, then reheat the broth, reducing by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the duck and its accompaniments to the pan to warm through. Place a piece of duck on a plate, topped with olives, kumquats, onions and sauce. Serves 4.

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Kumquat Ice Drops

1/4 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg white
1 teaspoon honey
10 kumquats, halved, seeds removed.
1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and cinnamon. In another small bowl, lightly beat the egg white and honey.
2. Line a plate with wax paper. Dip the kumquat halves halfway into the egg-white mixture, then immediately dip into the sugar mixture. Lay on the plate and freeze until solid. Serves 4. Adapted from Kim Severson.

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Candied Kumquats

1 cup sugar
1/2 pound kumquats
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and 2 cups water to a boil, stirring until dissolved.
2. Add the kumquats, cover the fruit with a piece of parchment paper and a small plate or lid to keep them submerged.
3. Simmer over low heat until the kumquats are translucent, about 25 minutes.
4. Drain the fruit and reserve the syrup. Serve with cheese or ice cream. The syrup may also be reduced and drizzled on toast spread with butter. Makes 1/2 pound. Adapted from "Sunday Suppers at Lucques," by Suzanne Goin.