Week 1: Connecting over Kumquats!

 

Hi Bonnie,

So excited to be getting this project off the ground!  In response to the kumquat recipe challenge, I decided to make something much fancier than my usual dishes.  I was drawn to the aesthetics of the kumquat, and wanted to create something playful with the brightly colored, funky little fruits. 
The result: Kumquat-flecked Coconut Panna Cotta with Slow-cooked Candied Kumquats. 

I was excited to experiment with agar, the vegetarian-friendly substitute for gelatin in the panna cotta recipe.  I also used coconut milk in place of cream in order to make the dessert a bit lighter, and to add to the fruity, tropical flavors of the kumquats.  Researching agar led to my discovery that acidic foods can break down the agar and make it more difficult to set, so I increased the amount of agar in the panna cotta in order to account for the acid in the kumquats.  The amount of agar you use will determine the texture of the dessert, so you may want to experiment with the agar according to your personal texture preference.  Also, in case you are not an agar connoisseur, I bought my agar at a Japanese market, where it is sold in tiny packets.

I initially envisioned preparing the kumquats as a candied topping because I am charmed by the flower pattern revealed when a kumquat is cross-sectioned, and the candied kumquat topping would showcase this.   The candied kumquat recipe came from Joy of Cooking, and the panna cotta recipe is my own, though I used Heidi Swanson's Coconut Panna Cotta recipe in Super Natural Cooking as a jumping off point.

I'm not sure if you are a panna cotta fan; this was my first encounter with the Italian treat.  You might want to give this recipe a shot for a quick dinner party dessert, as each dessert is prepared as a single serving in its own ramekin, creating a sharp presentation.

Here are the recipes:

Kumquat-flecked Coconut Panna Cotta

• 1 14oz can  Coconut milk
• 11/4 cups   Milk (I used non-fat)
• 1/3 cup      Natural cane sugar (light colored cane sugar ensures the panna cotta remains white)
• 1 tsp          Agar powder
• 2-3 tbs       Coarsely chopped kumquat peel
• 1 tsp          Vanilla extract

    Lightly oil 6 ramekins.  Place coconut milk, milk, sugar, and agar powder in a saucepan.  Let ingredients sit until powder is dissolved (8010 minutes).  Once dissolved, bring ingredients to a slow simmer until the consistency of the mixture is uniform.  Turn off the heat and add the vanilla extract. 
    Sprinkle the chopped kumquat peel into the bottom of each ramekin.  The bits can be dispersed in any pattern you like, but should be limited to a single layer on the bottom of each ramekin.  Pour panna cotta mixture into ramekins and chill in fridge for one hour.

Slow-cooked Candied Kumquats

• 1 Cup    Light-colored natural cane sugar
• 1/2 lb    Kumquats, washed, sliced in 1/4 inch slices, and seeded
• 2 Cups   Water

In a saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil until sugar is dissolved.  Once dissolved, turn down heat, add kumquat slices, and simmer mixture for 20-25 minutes until kumquats are translucent.  Remove mixture from heat, place in a bowl, and refrigerate until chilled.

To serve:
Turn out panna cotta from ramekins by carefully running a knife around the edges of the panna cotta and submerging the base of each ramekin in hot water for 15 seconds.  Place panna cotta on plate with the kumquat-flecked side up.  Spoon candied kumquats over the top of each dessert and serve!

And now...

Enough about kumquats--in next week's post, we are connecting over kale.  Can't wait to see what you come up with, and bon appetit!

xo,
Leigh

    

Comments

[Julia]

Candied kumquats sound yummy - I've got a whole bunch of kumquats left behind by a recent house guest! I'm not sure about the panna cotta. What else would you recommend spooning the kumquats over?

Hi Julia,

Funny you should ask that--Casey is not a fan of the jello-like texture of panna cotta, but he loved the candied kumquats over vanilla ice cream.

Thanks for you comments!
Leigh

[Brittney]

Hi Leigh,

Love the blog -- fabulous idea, and I am excited to see what you both come up with every week :) I added your RSS feed to my iGoogle homepage.

For this weeks ingredient...
As with Bonnie my one and only kumquat experience was a "bitter" one -- but after seeing the mixture of ingredients in both recipes, I must say I am intrigued. Not only do the ingredients sound great together, but the presentation on both is AMAZING!! This looks like something I would see in Bon Appétit.

One day when I am feeling adventurous I am going to try this out ;)

PS --
The pottery used in the Kumquat-flecked Coconut Panna Cotta and Slow-cooked Candied Kumquats looks familiar... When am I going to find similar pottery on Etsy ;) ? hehe.

PPS --
I guess I was feeling more creative this evening than I thought :)

[My Sweet & Saucy]

What a pretty little dessert! Love the look of the Kumquats!