Last week I was fortunate enough to experience my first ProWein trade fair in Düsseldorf, which inspired my recipe for Spiced Kumquats with sparkling wine. Of course it was more than overwhelming to experience the many exhibitors. Certainly my advantage was that I had fantastic company. One of my dearest friends Carine Patricio is a sommelier at Sagebiels Fährhaus in Blankenese. In addition, other talented sommeliers and wine connoisseurs took me by the hand or the glass. It was incredibly exciting when the winemakers talked about their products. My respect for the knowledge of sommeliers has increased even further.
For me, it is a phenomenon such as grape varieties, locations or even vintages are recognized. The tongues and the palate are not only incredibly trained when tasting, there is also the ability to save nuances and recognize them again. In addition, sommeliers need to know not only wine, champagne or sparkling wine, but also spirits, tea, coffee or non-alcoholic drinks. Achieving the perfect food pairing, where food and drinks support each other, is a high art.
The spiced kumquats not only complement the sparkling wine wonderfully, they can also be eaten as a compote.
Kumquats are related to citrus fruits.
When I went past the delicious Kumquats after the ProWein in the fruit department I got the idea. Spiced Kumquats with Sparkling Wine are a delicious aperitif. Of course, a good sparkling wine tastes good even without Spiced Kumquats, but sometimes it is worthwhile to try something new. For my Spiced Kumquats with Sparkling Wine I decided on a Riesling sparkling wine from Balthasar Ress. For the Riesling sparkling wine, only grapes of one grape variety and one vintage are used. The typical Riesling flavors go well with the slightly sweet-sour freshness of the kumquats. The compote of the spiced kumquats is complemented by flavors of cardamom, star anise and vanilla.
Kumquats or dwarf oranges are related to the citrus fruits. Similar to oranges, they contain seeds and segments inside. Their shell looks very robust, but is very thin and can be eaten. Kumquats are originally from China and Indonesia. Incidentally, they also score with at least 35mg of vitamin C in 100g of fruit.
Refreshing aperitif for a romantic evening.
The preparation of the Spiced Kumquats for the csparkling wine is relatively simple. The small fruits are washed, halved and the seeds removed. Then they are cut into small pieces and boiled with orange juice, a little sugar and the spices for about 20 minutes. After the compote has cooled in the refrigerator, some of it is poured into a champagne or martini glass and poured with sparkling wine or champagne. In my picture you can see glasses of bloomix. I’m a real fan of the glasses. For me they convince not only in their appearance but also by their double-walled glass. Due to the layer of air between the two glass walls, hotter stays hot longer and cold longer stays cold. The effect is called thermoglass effect. Especially with an aperitif but also soups very practical.
The spiced kumquats also taste delicious on bread or with yogurt.
If you are looking for other aperitifs with a beautiful look and a great taste, try my Lavender Vodka Cocktail or Pumpkin Martini with Pumpkin Spice Vodka.
Spiced Kumquats with Sparkling Wine
Print This
Ingredients
What do you need for the Spiced Kumquats with Sparkling Wine?
- 1 cup Kumquats
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1 Vanilla Bean
- 2 Star Anise
- 4 capsels of Cardamom
- 1/2 cup Orange Juice
- 1 Bottle Sparkling Wine
Instructions
How are the spiced kumquats with sparkling wine prepared?
- Wash and halve the kumquats.
- Remove the cores from the kumquats.
- Cut the kumquats into small pieces.
- Put kumquats, orange juice, sugar and spices in a saucepan and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
- Allow the spices to cool in the fridge.
- Approximately 2 teaspoons of the spiced kumquats in a champagne or martini glass and fill up with sparkling wine.
