Kumquat sauce with star anise

This exquisite four-ingredient sauce is wonderful spooned over yogurt, waffles, or pancakes for a flavorful breakfast, used as a salad dressing, or served with roast chicken or pork. The kumquats, a bite-sized winter fruit, offer a big sweet-tart flavor in a small package. There’s no need to peel kumquats. In fact, their sweetness comes from the peel while the juice is tart. We find that the easiest way to seed them is to use a small pointed paring knife to pick out the seeds from the kumquat slices. When buying kumquats, choose bright orange fruit that are firm and have a fragrant aroma.