My first experience with kumquats occurred during university. I had travelled with my then-boyfriend to his hometown of Calgary, and his grandmother hosted a family dinner. She had an indoor kumquat tree (if you are familiar with winter in Calgary, you know that an outdoor citrus tree would never survive the cold and snow!) and added a few of the mini citrus fruits into our salad for colour. Having never heard of a kumquat before, I popped a whole one into my mouth. I quickly realized that the little fruit I had just eaten was not a cute sweet orange, but something quite bitter and sour. After a bit of coughing and a few smiles from the family, they explained what a kumquat was.
Nowadays, I am familiar with the sweet skin (peel) and sour, bitter inside flavour combo of the kumquat (I also know now, not to throw a whole one into my mouth - ah youth!). I like to enjoy kumquats diced or muddled, so that the intense kumquat flavour combo can be more of an after thought, instead of the main show.
One of my favourite spring/summer, or fresh flavour appetizers is a Kumquat and Herbed Chèvre Crostini. The sharp flavours of the goat chèvre, combined with fresh herbs, balance the sweet sour diced kumquat topping. I'm not going to lie, these crostini are also beautiful to look at. Put them on any appetizer table or board and they are the first thing people reach for. They are an entertaining must!
I like to add a small amount of dried blood orange flavour into this crostini. I take dried blood orange wheels (my recipe is here, substitute oranges with blood oranges) and grind them up into a spice-like consistency, then add the ground peels to the chèvre filling mixture. The dried blood orange adds a faint hint of citrus to the appetizer, without the chewy texture of dried peel. If you don't have dried blood orange wheels, or don't want to purchase some already ground (Williams Sonoma sometimes carries them in the spice section), no worries. The appetizer is still a hit without it!
Here's to bringing on spring and first experiences with kumquats!
Enjoy,
Krista
Image above: Kumquat and Herbed Chèvre Crostini with Kumquat Rum Old Fashioned
Kumquat and Herbed Chèvre Crostini
makes 10
Ingredients
For the Crostini
10 baguette slices, cut 1/2" thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
salt and pepper
For the Chèvre Filling
1 240 gram package chèvre, room temperature
6-8 fresh chives, finely chopped, plus 3 more finely chopped for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried blood orange peel (optional)*
salt and pepper
6-8 medium-sized kumquats diced, for garnish
Method
For The Crostini
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. On a parchment lined sheet pan place10 baguette slices, evenly spaced so not touching. Brush olive oil on both sides of slices and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping half way through. Cooking times will vary depending on the age of the bread and size of slices. Once crostini are toasted, remove sheet pan from oven and rub one side of each slice with the raw garlic clove. Set crostini aside to cool.
For The Chèvre Filling
In a medium size bowl, add chèvre, chives, thyme leaves, garlic powder, dried blood orange peel (if using), salt and pepper. Mix together until combined and smooth. Set aside until assembling crostini.
For The Garnish
Dice kumquats.
To Assemble
Place one tablespoon of chèvre filling onto each crostini and spread. Top each crostini with diced kumquats, chive and thyme leaves.
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