RECIPE: Kumquat season is ideal time to try this icebox pie

When I was a kid, kumquats arrived every year around Christmastime, packed in little cardboard boxes with their bright green leaves. We’d unpack them like tree ornaments and eat them out of hand — whimsical citrus bombs with a sweet, fragrant skin and tart interior. The old folks seemed to bestow them with special reverence, and I still remember my mother tucking them into her holiday greenery.

In early 2020, I had the opportunity to experience the life kumquatic in Pasco County, Florida (also known as Florida’s Sports Coast), which claims to be the nation’s largest producer of the hyper-seasonal fruit. Over that late January weekend, I wandered orchards laden with oval Nagamis; visited the Kumquat Growers’ packing house in St. Joseph and the Kumquat Festival in Dade City; and delighted in innumerable kumquat concoctions: preserves of every consistency (jam, marmalade, butter); kumquat wine, kumquat beer and kumquat cocktails; kumquat honey, cake and ice cream; even a dip made with lobster, crab and kumquat. May sound weird but it was delicious.

By far, the most memorable creation was a cold pie made with condensed milk, whipped cream and pureed kumquats. Cousin to the more famous Key lime pie (but without the egg yolk), North Carolina’s Atlantic Beach Pie (built on a saltine crust) and the Deep South’s beloved lemon icebox pie, this ethereal wedge was light as a cloud and flecked throughout with Florida sunshine in the form of little orange specks of fruit. I ate at least three iterations during my immersion into kumquat culture. You best believe I left with a recipe.

Now that kumquats are coming into season, you can make this lovely, unexpected dessert at home with grocery-store staples. (You may even spot a similar recipe inside your plastic container filled with Florida kumquats.) While kumquats are plentiful, consider freezing some puree for future pies. Just be sure to remove the seeds before you plop the fruit into the food processor or blender. You need 2/3 cup per pie.

While any pre-baked pie shell will work, I’m especially fond of graham cracker: Crush 11 graham-cracker sheets into fine crumbs. (I use a food processor.) Mix crumbs with 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional). Press into a pie plate and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until brown.

Home-made whipped cream is a nice touch, but Cool Whip is traditional and will save you a few steps.

If you have any leftover kumquats, consider adding them to the holiday greenery. Place them around candlesticks circled with evergreen or magnolia cuttings. Or tuck a few into the kids’ Christmas stockings for an old-fashioned treat.