 MORE MEMORIES OF DEAR JULIA - Kumquat Season is Here As I move past her untimely late August passing and with the holidays upon us, memories of Julia Reed have and will continue to flood my mind. These are joyful memories tinged with the bitterness of her loss.. Sharing always helps. So, here goes.  I've already told a few of our stories... In a previous blog post timed after the release of her last cookbook writing effort: Julia Reed's New Orleans: Food, Fun, and Field Trips for Letting the Good Times Roll....with the front cover shot in my courtyard and a marvelous Creole Gumbo Lunch chapter. There's also a foray to my Patoutville family home and Bayside Plantation for an entertaining chapter which included the company of dear friends over an Aioli Dinner.  Then, after her passing, I shared an extensive recollection featured in this blog with photos she had saved over the years. She sent them to me after becoming ill. IT'S A HOLIDAY TRADITION! But back to why I'm posting now, the holidays are here and Julia treasured handmade delectable gifts so much that she wrote about it years ago in a New York Times essay. Julia recounts her early recipe gift failures and offers two favorites. There's a praline recipe and my Aunt Evelyn Patout's Kumquat Preserves. About this time, every year I make Aunt Evelyn's Kumquat preserves. I get so many recipe requests. It is indeed a holiday tradition! "Among the Holiday Baubles, nothing shines like real home cooking."
When I posted the video above 55 weeks ago on Instagram, there she was in the comments. Thank you dear Julia. You are missed!  Click the recipe title link below to enjoy the full story.  FOOD; EXTREMELY GIFTED
By Julia Reed an excerpt from... Evelyn Patout's Preserved Kumquats "His Aunt Evelyn's candied kumquats are fabulous on cake or ice cream, with pork or duck or sweet potatoes, and I once slivered them and used them to decorate the top of a glamorous holiday charlotte russe. Peter managed to finagle Evelyn's recipe, which calls for three days of stirring and boiling -- but only for a few minutes each morning. And Peter says he actually enjoys the ritual of fooling with them while he makes his café au lait." 1 quart kumquats 2 cups sugar 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup. 1. Scrub kumquats thoroughly. Prick each several times with a large needle or poultry pin. Put them in a large saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain. 2. Combine the sugar and 3 cups of water in a large saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes. Add kumquats and boil again. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, overnight. The next morning, add 1/2 cup corn syrup. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand overnight again. Repeat the process twice more. 3. On the fourth morning, after the kumquats have been brought to boil, spoon them into hot, sterilized, Mason-type jars. Pour in hot syrup to within 1/4 inch of the top of each jar and seal. Refrigerate until ready to give or seal in a hot-water bath according to jar manufacturer's directions and store. Yield: 2 1/2 quarts. NOTE: For directions on how to sterilize jars, see page 60 of the new edition of ''Joy of Cooking.''
1 Comment
Savita N
1/30/2022 02:04:22 pm
A friend brought me a large bags of kumquats from Florida because she suspected I would be interested and willing to do something with them. I found your aunt's recipe on NYT-Cooking. I'm on Day#2. I agree with you; I love the morning ritual. I've wanted to know more about the original cook, your aunt, so glad I found this blog. I've only been to New Orleans twice so glad this recipe is part of my world now; a piece of New Orleans here in Greenville SC. Leave a Reply. |
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