Candied Mandarinquats

Have you ever seen a Mandarinquat?

I hadn't either until the other day when I spotted them at Whole Foods. I wanted to try them, but I knew at $6.99/lb, I wasn't going to buy very many of these gems. 

  Mandarinquats are  a cross between a mandarin and a kumquat. They are an orange, bell-shaped fruit that is larger than a typical kumquat at about two inches long. The peel is very sweet and is eaten along with the tart flesh. 

I decided the best way to enjoy a pound of mandarinquats would be to candy them. I was inspired by a recipe in Sunset magazine for Candied Meyer Lemons written by Yigit Pura of Tout Sweet Pâtisserie in San Francisco. I changed the ingredients and technique, and took it a bit further by drying them overnight and rolling them in sanding sugar.

Candied Mandarinquats

• 1 pound Mandarinquats
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300°. Slice ends off of lemons, then slice evenly 1/8" to 1/4" thick, using a thin serrated knife. Discard seeds and end pieces. Layer slices in an 9-in. square glass baking dish

2. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil in a small covered saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Pour over fruit. Cover dish tightly with foil.

3. Bake until fruit is tender and somewhat translucent but still keeps its shape (see above) 50 to 55 minutes. Uncover and bake until syrup reduces by a third, about 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then use or chill, covered. Lift out slices with a fork and place on a cooling rack (see below.)

4. Let slices drain overnight. The next day they should feel dry but slightly tacky to the touch. Roll in granulated sugar, sanding sugar, or decorative sugar (see below) and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
    After sugaring each slice, I placed them back on the rack one at a time, just so I could enjoy their beauty a few minutes longer. Also, I mixed in a bit of yellow decorative sugar with the sanding sugar to give them a little more razzle-dazzle. As if they needed it!

I packaged my Candied Mandarinquat slices and took them to a food swap. People asked me what to do with them. I explained that they would make a wonderful garnish for baked goods, or you could cut a slit on one side of the slice and perch it on the rim of a fancy glass to make any cocktail instantly more elegant. Or just consider them a fruit confection and eat like candy.

You might say biting into a Candied Mandarinquat...

...is like eating a sweet burst of sparkly sunshine. Something we can't seem to get enough of in Seattle.