Toasted Pain DÉpice With Kumquat Marmalade Butter Food

KUMQUAT MARMALADE

Steps:

• Rinse kumquats; cut in half and remove seeds. Place in a food processor; process until coarsely chopped., In a Dutch oven, combine kumquats and water. Stir in pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar; return to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir 1 minute., Remove from heat; skim off foam. Ladle hot mixture into seven hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

CHEF JOHN'S KUMQUAT MARMALADE

Steps:

• Quarter kumquats lengthwise; cut off white center membrane and remove seeds. Slice quarters into small pieces.
• Place kumquats into a pot. Add lemon zest (white part only), lemon juice, pinch cayenne, star anise, sugar, and water. Mix together. Cover and let sit at room temperature 2 or 3 hours to allow fruit to macerate. Or you can refrigerate overnight.
• Place 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.
• Spoon warm marmalade into sterilized jars. Cover and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

KUMQUAT MARMALADE BUTTER

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and 2 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the kumquats, and cover the fruit with a piece of parchment or a small plate to keep them submerged. Turn the heat to low, and cook about 25 minutes, until the kumquats are translucent. Drain the fruit, reserving the sugar syrup. When the kumquats have cooled, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut halves lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
• Cream the butter and confectioners' sugar at medium-low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it's light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add all but 3 tablespoons of the candied kumquats. Add a tablespoon or two of the reserved syrup and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine, taste, and add more syrup if you like.

KUMQUAT MARMALADE

Steps:

• Slice the kumquats and put them in the water (in a pan that can be used on the stovetop). Let this stand overnight.
• The next day, put the pan on the stovetop and boil the fruit until it is tender. Then pour the fruit mixture into a bowl and let stand for another night.
• On the third day, transfer the fruit/water mixture to a cooking pot and add 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Add brandy if used. Boil this mixture until it jells (about 45 minutes).
• Pour into warm, sterilised jars and seal. Or use a processing method you prefer.

TOASTED PAIN D'ÉPICE WITH KUMQUAT MARMALADE BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Lightly butter a loaf pan.
• In a large saucepan, bring the honey, brown sugar, and 3/4 cup water to a boil, stirring frequently. As soon as it comes to a boil, take the mixture off the heat. Sift in 1 cup of the flour, whisking continuously. Set aside.
• Sift together the remaining cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, ginger, and ginger juice. Whisk the honey mixture into the eggs. Slowly fold the remaining dry ingredients into the batter in three parts (if you add too much or too quickly, your batter will be lumpy).
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the loaf is firm to the touch. Let cool completely before slicing.
• Heat one or two cast-iron pans over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. (You can toast the pain d'épice in two pans or in batches.)
• Cut six 1/2-inch-thick slices of pain d'épice, and butter them on both sides. Place the slices in the pan, and toast a few minutes on each side, until golden brown and crisp. Slather each slice with kumquat marmalade butter, and fan them out on a platter, overlapping them slightly. Top with the reserved candied kumquats.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the granulated sugar and 2 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the kumquats, and cover the fruit with a piece of parchment or a small plate to keep them submerged. Turn the heat to low, and cook about 25 minutes, until the kumquats are translucent. Drain the fruit, reserving the sugar syrup. When the kumquats have cooled, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut halves lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
• Cream the butter and confectioners' sugar at medium-low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it's light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add all but 3 tablespoons of the candied kumquats. Add a tablespoon or two of the reserved syrup and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine, taste, and add more syrup if you like.