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New Yorkers with a flair for creative culinary undertakings probably remember seeing hundreds of persimmons hanging from the ceiling of West Village tearoom Té Company back in January. Although the treat quickly sold out back then, owners Elena Liao and husband Frederico Ribeiro are back at it, this time focusing on a different delectable orange fruit: nagami kumquats.
The citrus delicacy is native to Southern China and it symbolizes good luck in Chinese culture. It usually peaks from February through March and, taste-wise, it's not as sweet as a persimmon but it certainly packs a punch.
Liao and Ribeiro are currently working to produce 100 jars of the preserved organic fruit to put up for sale. (They already have 50 at the store available for purchase.) Ribeiro explains that the entire process takes about three to four days. During that time, the store owners slowly poach the kumquats in organic sugar and water to properly preserve them before filling entire jars with some.
They source the fruit from an organic farm in California called Rancho Del Sol Organics and sell each jar for $18 plus tax.
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When it comes to the best way to indulge in his creations, Ribeiro recommends putting some on toast with a little bit of butter or right on top of ricotta. "Since they are not very sweet, you can also use them on an endive salad or even to finish a roasted chicken," he suggests.
For what it's worth, we personally don't mind eating them straight out of the containers to properly revel in the mixture of flavors that Ribeiro and Liao concocted through their preservation process.
When at the store to pick up your jar of kumquats, we also suggest partaking in the shop's unique indoor tea service, which just recently resumed following a two-year-long, pandemic-fueled hiatus. You'll get to try a variety of different teas in a number of forms while learning about ideal brewing methods, styles and flavor profiles.
A visit to Té Company basically amounts to an immersive experience into the world of Chinese culture—an exciting endeavor indeed.