Mango Sorbet and Kumquat Syrup

Lots of baking going on lately, and lots of other stuff too. But the fun stuff has to do with baking. I was shopping last weekend and came across kumquats at Trader Joe's - so cute! I had no idea what to do with them, but then we were making a sugar syrup to enhance our Gewurtztraminer,

some of which is being bottled up into a dessert wine, (this is the label image, I love it! - the actual label says "La Dolce Vita" on it as well). Anyway, I got the idea to just slice the kumquats and put them in a syrup and cook them just for a minute to get tender. Delicious! Kind of orange marmalade-y. Apparently with kumquats the flesh is tart and the skin is sweet - I found the whole package to be pretty tart, and seedy, but they are perfect this way.

Then I scooped up some mango sorbet and topped it with the kumquats and syrup. I went out to the garden to pick some fresh mint to put on top, only to find that the April snow and hail had burned the mint black - it'll come back, but it sure wasn't available for photos! So I cheated and used a pinch from the basil that's in the house! I think vanilla ice cream with the kumquats would be perfect - like a swanky Creamsicle.