This sparkling orange and kumquat flavored Gelée, is light and sparkling. It’s fun to eat and is a great palate cleanser.
serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 (¼‑ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
- red and yellow food dye
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange or kumquat juice
- ¼ cup lillet blanc
- ½ prosecco
- .75 kumquacello (you could substitue limoncello or any orange liqueur)
- ½ cup sparkling water
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 hin orange or kumquat slices, for garnish
- fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Directions
1. Sprinkle gelatin over the cold orange in a small bowl. Add 1 drop each of red and yellow food dye. Let this mixture stand about 5 minutes. Then whisk the ingredients to dissolve the gelatin as much as possible.
2. Add the Lillet, Prosecco, kumquacello, sparkling water, and sugar to a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 3 minutes, until almost to a boiling point. Remove the bowl carefully and whisk the mixture well, until sugar dissolves. Pour this over the softened gelatin, and whisk until gelatin dissolves.
3. Pour mixture into an 8‑inch square baking dish, or individual sized clear glass bowls. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours . Cut into 4 portions if you like, and garnish with fruit slices and mint.
The alternate name for the kumquat is fortunella, so we’ve dropped the previously awkward name ‘kumquatcello’ and started calling this delicious liqueur ‘FORTUNCELLO’.
I adore kumquats.…I have recently used them in a rice pudding pie and poached them in red wine. Now I have a couple more recipes to make — thanks!!!!!
I also learned of making ‘Brown Butter’ Whiskey last night after I tried some, and now I am on a mission, so will add this to my list…thanks for the tips and love traveling down the food road with you!
Maybe I haven’t noticed but I don’t recall ever seeing kumquats at the grocery store. Sounds good though.
It may depend where you live. I have seen them at grocery stores. Especially Latin Markets. In Los Angeles they grow in quite a few peoples yards. They are pretty because the fruit hangs on the tree for most of the year with out rotting. But I got mine at the Hollywood Farmers Market. GREG
The first is because you described kumquats as the bonbons of the citrus world and the second is from Mandarino — when I Wiki’d the word, it came up as a liqueur made by the same process as limoncello using Mandarin orange peels.
This picture looks like a clear pool with perfect orange pebbles at the bottom. I’m expecting a contented fish to swim by! A very contented, very tipsy fish …
Very clever…I would respond with something equally funny, but I am too busy working on your EAT YOUR WORDS challenge! GREG
Which is what I considered carving into the lime wedge garnishes on our caipirinhas as my entry before I opted for the word ‘yummy’ in Jell‑O. Channeling Rachel Ray instead of the Girl from Ipanema …
…and odd. Because “woo-hoo” would be a perfect accompaniment to my video. Are you following me again? Peeking in my windows again? Do I need another restraining order? GREG
I was so excited to see another project for my bounty of kumquats. I need a bit of clarification though. How many kumquats to use per bottle of soaking liquor. I’m thinking enough vodka to cover but your picture seems to show them well below the level of the liquid. What is best?
I used 3 lbs kumquats to 1.5 liters liquor. After 2 weeks or so I will add 4 cups simple syrup and another 1.5 liters liquor. I am making this up as I go though. So maybe you want to check back in a few weeks. GREG
This is brilliant! What a grand idea! How about calling it Fortuncello? The genus for the kumquat is Fortunella — so…
…somebady is using their brain to solve this problem. I like that! GREG
maybe call it kumquatico? kumtreau? k‑juice? special‑k? oh wait that’s something else… :X your title, however, would be a good pet name for a loved one… “my little drunken kumquat <3”
i think i like kumquacello.
You are probably going to come in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th! GREG
Mmmmmmmmm that sounds delish. Did you pierce the kumquats at all to release some of the oils and tangy flavors of the pulp? I am curious to know if that would add a little tang, or sadly, make it bitter. I love sweet and sour things, therefore I love Kumquats. 🙂 My contributions below:
Bomba di gusto = Flavor bomb in Italian
Bomba di gusto di Kumquat = Kumquat flavor bomb
…that’s a serious contender.
I did not poke or score. I thought about it…Maybe I should have. But here was my thinking. I wanted the kumquat essense, which is most potent in the oils of it’s skin. I thought I’d get the purest flavor this way. Also, I was concerned adding juice or pulp might pollute or cloud the alcohol. Perhaps even make the final product spoil more easily.
I am making this up as I go, so I could be wrong. But all the limoncello recipes I checked out adviced using the skins of lemons with no pith and no pulp. So leaving my kumquats whole seemed most true to the limocella tradition I am emulating. GREG
Hey–I’m doing this too. My neighbor’s tree is so productive, I couldn’t possibly need as much marmalade as I could make from the fruit.
Didn’t plan ahead, so no grain alcohol for me either. Best suggestion for 100 proof is to pick up a couple of bottles next time you’re in Mexico, since you’ll obviously have to make another, stronger batch to compare and contrast.
(btw, the word is “imbibing”)
Imbibing…Fixed…Thanks GREG
A possible name — kumquateen, based on the famous Irish poteen.
Also, did you score, poke, or otherwise do anything to the kumquats to let the alcohol in?
Thanks for the idea. I’ll research this poteen.
I did not poke or score. I thought about it…Maybe I should have. But here was my thinking. I wanted the kumquat essense, which is most potent in the oils of it’s skin. I thought I’d get the purest flavor this way. Also, I was concerned adding juice or pulp might pollute the alcohol. Perhaps even make the final product spoil more easily.
I am making this up as I go, so I could be wrong. But all the limoncello recipes I checked out adviced using the skins of lemons with no pith and no pulp. So leaving my kumquats whole seemed most true to the limocella tradition I am emulating. GREG
You’re going to have to go to another state to buy grain alcohol. From my extensive research (Google) I believe it is illegal in CA, though Everclear sells a somewhat watered down flavor of it, name Everclear 151 there.
Personally, after tediously removing the pith from so many lemon peels, I had to drive to Maryland to get my grain alcohol last year when I made lemoncello. I use it regularly and still have some left from the liter I started with (and gave some away as gifts).
I like to use mine to add a little kick to a vinaigrette and a dash is especially good on top of clam’s casino. I imagine that your kumquat form would perform even better in those applications.
Nicely done!
This is sad but I can’t remember ever eating a kumquat. I’m intriqued and will do my best to seek them out. 100 things? That must of taken some time, care, and thought to write up. Maybe you could start by sharing ten of them?