Chocolate Covered Candied Kumquats

A couple weeks ago a friend gave me some kumquats from her trees.  She didn’t know what to do with them and to be honest with you, neither did I… So they safely lived in my refrigerator until a couple days ago.  With Easter around the corner, I decided that I would make some sort of a dessert or candy to share on Sunday. 

An old recipe for candied orange peels came to mind.  What I remembered was they were delicious but time consuming…  I didn’t cut any corners though and thought these would be a good experiment and also a labor of love!  In the recipe that follows, I candied the kumquats but also decided to dry them.  For the ones that I made, I dried them in a very low oven for 6 hours.  I think it was a little too long.  2 hours were not enough but 4 hours would have been perfect.  Unfortunately I was not home in time and my little orange jewels got a little bit chewy...  Nonetheless they are delicious (I’ve already had a few pieces…) and they just leave you with a nice zesty citrus after thought very characteristic to the kumquats. 

I hope you get to share something sweet with your family and friends this weekend.  Happy Easter and Happy Passover!

Chocolate Dipped Candied Kumquats                                                    Makes about 130 pieces

8 cups kumquats

4 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ cup white chocolate, chopped

            Wash the kumquats and cut into half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds and place in a large bowl.  Cover with water by 2 inches.  Refrigerate overnight.

            The next day, drain the kumquats.  In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add the kumquats and boil for 1 minute.  Drain and repeat this process with fresh water.

In the same now empty saucepan, bring the sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil while stirring occasionally.  When the sugar is dissolved, add the kumquats and simmer until translucent, about 35 to 45 minutes.

            Drain the kumquats with a slotted spoon onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet.  Drain for a few minutes.  Transfer the rack with the kumquats onto another baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in the oven to dry for about 4 hours on the lowest setting.

            Let sit until cool.

            Place the chocolates into 2 separate bowls.  Reserve a few pieces of each.  Melt the chocolates for about 15 minutes in the oven on its lowest setting.  Stir until smooth, adding the reserve pieces.

            Remove the rack from the baking sheet.  Half dip the candied kumquats into the dark or white chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Set aside to dry and firm up.

            Transfer into an airtight container, layered with wax paper.  Refrigerate up to a month.  Serve at room temperature.