Pretty As A Persimmon
Persimmons are such an underrated fruit. Nonna, my Italian grandmother, loved them passionately. She ripened them on paper towels on the bench, waiting till the skin wrinkled and split, the insides turning jelly soft. The site of that saggy baggy skin was enough to turn me off. Well, for most of my childhood anyway. Alas, I have overcome many food phobias as I have grown (hallelujah!). And one of them was for the humble persimmon.
Apparently persimmons come in astringent or non-astringent forms. I am only familiar with the astringent variety, and have learnt a new method of ripening. Instead of leaving them on the bench for two weeks, when near ripe pop them in the freezer. This has a twofold effect. It eliminates the mouth puckering astringency, and then allows the fruit to become pulpy soft when the ice molecules disintegrate. Fruit can be frozen for up to six months, allowing one to enjoy them out of season.
When ripe the taste is super sweet, almost like a supercharged apricot.
I think the persimmon tree is just gorgeous, quite ornamental/oriental in design.
I have never tried to cook with persimmons, knowing the delicacy of the flesh. Does anyone have any tried and true recipes?
Written by mellie on
May 7th, 2006 | Tags: Uncategorized | Category: Uncategorized
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May 26th, 2006 at 4:28 am
Mmm, I love persimmons but only the fuyu type. wish I had a tree!
May 27th, 2006 at 8:13 am
hi,
i don’t like em “jelly soft”, i usually eat em when they’re midly soft to the touch
May 27th, 2006 at 11:54 pm
I had the same dilemma with the mound of persimmons that my mom bought at a farmer’s market!
I couldn’t find a recipe which was simple enough to take advantage of the fruit without other flavours overpowering it, so I ended up eating it with natural yoghurt. Yum!
May 28th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Cin - the trees are absolutely beautiful. I don’t have one either
I just knick them off the neighbour!
Tytty - i’m probably with you there. My grandmother used to eat them when they were so soft they were almost rotting! I do prefer mine a little firmer though.
Elli - I find Greek yoghurt and persimmons are a mighty tasty combination sensation indeed. I just love the fact you can freeze them without much loss of flavour.
September 17th, 2006 at 11:15 pm
I made some persimmon chutney when the fruit was at its peak this year. It’s delicious with curries. Here’s the url: http://cookingdownunder.com/articles/2006/230.htm
September 18th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
Wonderful…thank you so much for that Pat. It looks like a great recipe - I’ll certainly give it a go once persimmons are back in season. Also, you have a fabulous site. I look forward to exploring it a little further.