We’re fortunate enough to live where fresh citrus fruit is readily available, and one of our favorites is a small oval sweet-sour gem called the kumquat. We like simple, and there’s no peeling, coring, or slicing involved in kumquat eating. Yank that little beauty off the tree or pull it out of the package, rinse, and eat. The entire fruit is edible – the skin, the seeds, and the soft, tart center pulp.
That simplicity is what we like about our kumquat pie recipe too. Toss a clamshell’s worth of kumquats into the food processor or blender, fold the resulting puree into fresh whipped cream, lemon juice, and sweetened condensed milk, pour the mixture into a pie shell, and chill in the refrigerator. Garnished with a dollop of whipped cream, you’ve got a summertime treat that can’t be beat.
Kumquat Pie
9″ pie shell*
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp. shortening
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 -3 tbsp. water
Preheat the oven to 475°F
Mix the flour and salt and cut the shortening into the mixture until it resembles small peas.
Sprinkle in water and stir with a fork until the mixture sticks together.
Gather the mixture into a ball and roll into a round a bit larger than your pie plate.
Crimp the edges of the pastry along the side of the pie plate, prick the pastry with a fork, and bake in oven 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.
Filling **
- One pint-sized clamshell package of kumquats (enough to make 2/3 cup puree)
- One 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 tbsp. sugar
Wash and puree the kumquats in a blender or food processor.
Pour the condensed milk and the lemon juice into a bowl and beat 1-2 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream with 3 Tablespoons of sugar until stiff (above five minutes).
Combine whipped cream with the condensed milk mixture and beat until thick. Fold in the pureed kumquats.
Pour the kumquat mixture into the baked pie shell and chill in the refrigerator until set.
Garnish (if desired)**
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 tbsp. sugar
Before serving the pie, combine 1 cup whipping cream and 3 Tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff. Garnish the pie with the whipped cream.
Tips and tricks
* We like a home-baked pie shell, but you can substitute ready-made. A plain or chocolate graham cracker pie shell adds a delicious flavor dimension to the finished pie.
** Instead of making your own whipped cream with the whipping cream and sugar recipe, you can substitute ready-made whipping cream, both in the pie ingredients and as a garnish.
Mother/daughter author duo HL Carpenter write family-friendly fiction from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. When they’re not writing, they enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity.
Visit their http://www.hlcarpenter.com/ to enjoy gift reads and excerpts and to find out what’s happening in Carpenter Country.
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