Sometimes I see an ad for a new gadget or appliance that makes me stop and wonder. Wonder why? Wonder at the desperation to come up with the newest thing to sell to people just “because”. The novelty seems to be the thing in itself.
There is an ad for a refrigerator that is showing up everywhere right now that has a camera(s) inside that connects to your phone. If you have one of these you can always know what you have, or do not have, on hand to eat. Personally this is just too much information for me. One thing I wonder is if when you open this refrigerator does it take pics of you as well? Could this be another social media app- InstaRefrigerator? Has it come to this? You heard it here first!
Most days I just open the door of my refrigerator and improvise. Improvised recipes can be the best. Finding “hidden food” in the back of the fridge might even lead to a blog post. I happily found a few cartons of kumquats at the back of my “no-camera” fridge a few days ago. I bought them over the holidays, forgot about them, rediscovered them and made marmalade. Part of the fun was the unexpected discovery of these orange orbs still just as plump as the day I bought them.
A marmalade with three ingredients…seeded kumquats, maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. It’s as “easy-as-this”.
Seeding is simple. Cut kumquats in half and seed with a spoon or your fingers. It takes a little time, but can be meditative.
Thick syrup, softened sweet-tart kumquat marmalade smeared on hearty crusty bread toasted, or not!
Maple Kumquat Marmalade
Ingredients:
- 3 pints of fresh kumquats, rinsed, cut in half and seeded
- 1 cup real maple syrup
- pinch of sea salt
Directions:
- Place kumquats and maple syrup in non-reactive pan and bring to a low boil. Turn heat to simmer, stirring often. Cook for about 30 minutes or until kumquats are softened to marmalade consistency and juice has thickened. If necessary add a bit of water to mixture as it cooks down.
- Ladle marmalade into glass jars. Store chilled for up to 2 months.
Teresa Blackburn http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com
I am like you when it comes to improvising with the ingredients I have in my kitchen. Your refrigerator story reminds me of the fancy microwave ovens when all I wanted was to reheat my food and melt some butter. I like kumquats and marble syrup , a great idea to make a marmalade.
Thank you so much Gerlinde…always nice to hear from you.
Mm..mm. Love the idea of the maple syrup. It would add a really delicious subtle undertone to the marmalade. I also would not have thought of adding salt to marmalade, but it makes perfect sense. I have a neighbour with a kumquat bush, so come winter I will give this recipe a go. Thanks for sharin, from one on–camera fridge person to another. margaret
Let me know when you make your marmalade how it comes out. I just love it and have almost eaten all of it! Now I wish for more kumquats but, alas, they are gone from our market.
Sometimes these are the best kind of recipes!
So true…off the cuff…just making it up as you go along can be a good thing. Thanks.
I have never had a kumquat… this looks like something I definitely need to try!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. Much appreciated.
I too am not a fan of gadgets in life in general but especially in the kitchen. I can’t imagine a more useless and horrible device such as a Smart fridge. What I am a huge fan of, is your marmalade! I loved the Meyer Lemon one and I am swooning over the kumquat version in its pure simplicity. I’d love some right now for breakfast Teresa!
Johanne Lamarche
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Thanks as always Johanne for stopping by. I hope you are well. I have been on a bit of a hiatus what with the March in DC and everything just crazy everyday in the newspaper! Also lots of food shoots and some with travel involved. Back at it soon.
What a pretty marmalade and sounds so sweet! 🙂 I probably couldn’t find a kumquat here if I wanted to, which I do, so is there another fruit I could swap with?
A camera in one’s fridge?? That’s just wrong!!
So agreed about the camera in the fridge! You could use any small citrus such as Little cuties, tangelos, etc I would think for this recipe. You would just need to cut the citrus into slivers after seeding. Give it a try and let me know.
When we lived in Miami, our home builder planted three kumquat trees outside our glass kitchen door to block an ugly view of our neighbors home. Wish I had your recipe then…I’ve never seen kumquats in the market.
Hi Karen, every winter it seems kumquats show up in our supermarkets here in Nashville…usually around the Holidays and I never know what to do with them but love how they look! What a treat to have the trees in your yard…thanks for stopping by.
Sounds yummy! I also think of the different things I can make when opening the fridge 😄
It is fun and a way to think outside the box when it comes to cooking and using up what’s on hand. Happy January to you.