Saturday 26 April 2014

cumquat cordial

please don't judge me too harshly when i tell you this but i've watched the film 'meet the parents'! there's a scene in the film where milking a cat is discussed..now you're probably wondering what the heck cumquat cordial has got to do with cats and their mammaries but bear with me..

i've made a few cumquat recipes over the last few years..there've been brandied cumquats and cumquat peel, cumquat jelly (the  gelatine one), cumquat marmalade, cumquat jelly (the jam one), cumquat curd and cumquat delicious (like lemon delicious but without the lemon)..and i've added cumquat marmalade to bread and cake..if you had a cumquat tree like mine you'd understand..and you can't give them away because the only people i know who'd be interested in all things cumquat already have their own supply to deal with..but don't get me wrong here people..i'm not complaining..it's just that cumquats are so small..yeah they're ever so cute and they smell adorable but they're the devil to juice..






cumquat cordial
i doubled the recipe which made 6 bottles

ingredients

1000 gms cumquats washed and stems removed
3 kgs sugar
8 cups boiling water
2 heaped tablespoon citric acid

method

~ place sugar, citric acid and water in a large bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved
~ process cumquats finely, add to the sugar solution, and then leave until cool
~ strain through a muslin lined sieve pressing to extract as much juice possible
~ pour into sterilized bottles and refrigerate

to serve

~ a splash of cordial with soda water or water

comments

even though this cordial is delicious i think it needs a higher cumquat to sugar ratio..and that's not just because i've got so many cumquats i don't know what to do with them! to counteract the sweetness i've been adding some fresh juice to each glass of made up cordial and that's worked well but next time i make the cordial i'm going to add it directly to the syrup to get the tangy flavour i'm after..i've given up on the juicer method since i made a miraculous discovery that's entirely technology free..i just squeeze each half between my fingers..mieow!





do you make cordial? if so what's your favourite?


25 comments:

  1. Looks good Jane. Cumquats are a unique little fruit aren't they? When I was a child Mum used to grow a pair of standard/clipped cumquats either side of our front door. They were lovely but I am not sure what really happened to the fruit! Your cordial looks delicious, I love the colour.

    I have made lime cordial in the past but sugary drinks don't really rate highly in our house...we get enough sugar from my baking! Home made cordial is so much nicer than store bought though, naturally! Have a great week x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks jane..lime cordial would be amazing..i make lemon cordial when lemons are bountiful too..it's something i started making in greece and that i've been making occasionally ever since..fortunately my children's teeth are all cavity free!

      Delete
  2. ah love it :-)
    As for cumquats, love them too. And I would happily strip your tree of them Jane. My teeny tree is trying really hard to fruit for the first time at the moment. I keep giving it some whispered encouragement but we're not there yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. how i wish i could send you a kilo or five brydie..i checked quarantine restrictions and unfortunately sending fruit and vegetables from victoria to nsw requires a permit..i'm so disappointed..i hope your little tree rewards your efforts soon..

      Delete
  3. Thanks for this post Hazel. I made cumquat cordial to this exact recipe 3 years ago and it is still just lovely to drink. It has kept beautifully even here in the north Queensland heat and humidity. A firm favourite with my family too. Like cityhippyfarmgirl, I have planted a cumquat, and we await the bounty! Love your blog, thanks for keeping it. Nellie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks nellie..i don't think my cordial will be around for long which is good because i get to use more of my cumquats to make more cordial..i hope your tree gets productive soon..jane

      Delete
  4. I LOVED meet the parents :) How could you not love anything with Robert de Niro in it? ;). I remember the scene with the cat milking and Mr Stiller can make anything...ANYTHING awkward can't he? I was squirming in my seat about how he kept trying to get out of things ;). LOL on the "cat/kumquat" milking and kudos for your tenacity. I would have gotten completely OVER it and thrown them into my vitamix and pureed the buggers! ;).

    ReplyDelete
  5. hi fran..previous to adopting the fingers squeezing technique i used a manual juicer..paradoxically that was really hard going..it took me a while to come up with the alternative method..goes to show that simple can be the better but i have a habit of over complicating things.i liked the sequel to 'meet the parents' too..how about you?

    ReplyDelete