Chef John's Kumquat Marmalade Recipe

Prep Time::45 mins

Cook Time::45 mins

Additional Time:: 2 hrs

Total Time:: 3 hrs 30 mins

Servings::32

Yield::2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups prepared kumquats

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cold water

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 star anise (I removed it after 10 minutes of simmering)

small pinch of cayenne

Directions

Quarter kumquats lengthwise; cut off the white center membrane and remove seeds.

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Slice quarters into small pieces.

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Place kumquats into a pot. Add sugar, water, lemon zest (white part only), lemon juice, star anise, and a pinch of cayenne; mix together. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 or 3 hours to allow fruit to macerate. Or you can refrigerate overnight.

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Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir occasionally for 10 minutes. Continuing cooking and stirring often until mixture is thick enough so that if you scrape a spatula across the bottom of the pan, you can briefly see the bottom of the pan before marmalade spreads back out, 30 to 40 minutes. Mixture should reach a temperature of 215 to 220 degrees F (120 to 125 degrees C). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

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Spoon warm marmalade into sterilized jars. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Chef’s Notes

You can go by appearance, but I took the temperature right before it was done, and it was about 215 degrees F (100 degrees C), so I imagine when I was finished, it was around 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). You can also put a spoonful on a plate in the fridge and test that way.

Measure kumquats after you've removed the seeds and membrane and sliced them.

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