3-10-2013 Let's get it on...Kumquats!

Since I had a little bit of time to myself, I thought: Why don't I put this time to good use? And boy, did I! I used some recipes from various sources: Southern Living, Publix recipes that they provide in the produce area, Hershey's Cookbook, Epicurious, and some other online sites.
Some of the recipes I stuck to; for others, I used them as a general pathway and then made my own trail.
I made: Country fried steak with southern peas, chili mac'n cheese, Breakfast lasagna, Creme brulee french toast, Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, roasted brussel sprouts, and a Hershey's chocolate Bar cake with a vanilla glaze.
The ones I recommend trying are definitely the breakfast lasagna, which I found at Tablespoon, the Hershey's Chocolate Bar cake (Warning: It's RICH),

the turkey meatballs, and the Creme Brulee french toast. The other few, I will have to work on improving until I find the perfect medium.
The Hershey's cake, by the was FANTASTIC, it was a very dense cake, practically like eating a candy bar :). I didn't have any regular all purpose flour on hand at the time, so I used cake flour, and I do not regret it one bit. The glaze was fantastically thick and hardened, and the chocolate bars on top served a pleasant crunch. I was pretty full after one slice, that's how rich and dense this cake was, but it still was amazing nonetheless.


Also, recently my mother happened to drop off a gallon bag of kumquats. What do I do with a gallon of kumquats?! Make a tart, of course! And that's exactly what I did. I did some research to find a recipe suitable for a tart and that sounded good, because 1) I have never actually made a tart before, and 2)I wanted to make sure it would taste good. Plus, I know someone who had a birthday earlier this week who loves my cooking, so I can use them as my guinea pig. This recipe seemed the best option, and fit my style: quirky and creative.

As I made the tart, I, being the way I am, made some alterations of my own. The filling was a little....how should we say...dull, muted, maybe. It just didn't have a kick, so I added a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried sweet basil to bring out some of that awesome citrus flavor with a savory touch. I also added candied kumquats to top it off. That recipe I will provide.

And check out this crust! There's vanilla bean in it... NOM!

Candied kumquats
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup kumquats, thinly sliced and seeded.
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Add sugar and water to a medium saucepan and put on medium heat until the mixture boils. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and kumquats, turn heat down to low and let simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the kumquats are soft. Drain the kumquats, reserving the liquid, for later use (don't waste that tasty stuff!) and let the kumquats cool completely before putting them on the tart.


...And the final product, YUM!

Don't think I forgot about the music! Today was somewhat a long effort, but good things take some time! Also, my mood was a little tumultuous, so it's not all mellow and pop-py, but nonetheless... it's some good ear candy. Enjoy! And I will let you know how the tart tastes! Any suggestions for my next project?