Persimmons

[peter_nyc]

Besides eating persimmons as-is, or drying them, you can mash the pulp to use in puddings, cakes, and even ice cream.

←

A sushi chef I once knew used to make persimmon ices. They were fantastic. I think he extracted the juice of the fruit and mixed it with plum wine and froze it solid. He would scrape with the ice with a fork to serve. Too bad the owners of the restaurant he worked at decided to burn the place down and collect insurance. I miss him and his ices dearly.

[dockhl]

A sushi chef I once knew used to make persimmon ices.  They were fantastic.  I think he extracted the juice of the fruit and mixed it with plum wine and froze it solid.  He would scrape with the ice with a fork to serve. 

←

Yum ! That sounds great, must try.

I was just out looking at them and although they are not getting soft, there are black areas developing on the fruit..............

Is that supposed to happen?

[lexy]

OK, anyone who wants some has to come to Paso Robles to get them 

←

Watch out, I'm almost tempted to take you up on that and show up on your doorstep with a big sack to fill

mmmmmmmmm, persimmons…

edited to add: I've never picked persimmons off a tree, I've always bought them from a store, so this may not apply, but I've found black spots on the outside to be harmless - they just seem to be discolourations of the surface, and don't show up on the fruit inside.

Edited November 3, 2005 by lexy (log)

[shengcai]

I've had the occasional persimmon (perhaps unripe still) that leaves these bitter bits stuck to my tongue. It's quite unpleasant. Is that the astringency people are talking about? Nothing beats a ripe, juicy persimmon on a hot summer day. I could eat 10 of them in one sitting. I like mine mushy, and I love it when the seeds haven't yet fully developed and are gelatinous and chewy. Persimmon ices sounds delicious!

[sanrensho]

I've had the occasional persimmon (perhaps unripe still) that leaves these bitter bits stuck to my tongue. It's quite unpleasant. Is that the astringency people are talking about?

Yup, that's it.

[NhumiSD]

I've had the occasional persimmon (perhaps unripe still) that leaves these bitter bits stuck to my tongue. It's quite unpleasant. Is that the astringency people are talking about?

Yup, that's it.

←

It can be picked orange in color, though it will need to be ripened. Place in a plastic or brown bag with an apple. Roll up the edges. The ethylene gas will ripen it.

You can make a persimon cake similar to a date cake, where it is steamed with spices. Chutneys, puddings are also good.

-NhumiSD

[eje]

Mmmmm...

Persimmon Pudding

Part of the problem with persimmons, is they flower, fruit and ripen on the tree all at once. They also grow to be sizeable trees in mild climates.

Sort of a zucchini type thing. By the end you will be looking for people to please take them from you.

Puree and freeze. In January or February, you'll be glad to taste that delicious elixir of fall once more.

[rickycooks@hotmail.com]

speaking of chinese cuisine, im looking for some suggestions in forging persimmon with crab. and being that persimmon is of chinese origin i though this might be the place to look. By the way I am speaking of FUYU persimmon.

appreciate any help that comes my way.

[Tepee]

Gosh. I've tried many ways crabs are prepared (curry, chilli, black bean, sweet sour, garlic, baked, stuffed, butter, steamed, deep-fried) but I've never tried persimmon crabs before. In fact, I can't think of any traditional chinese savoury dishes with persimmons. We eat it as it is...fresh, or use dried persimmons in sweet soup desserts.

Perhaps you could cook the crabs sweet sour style and make a salsa from the persimmons as a gravy.

I'm eager to be educated in new ways with crabs.

[JasonTrue]

Not Chinese, but... In Japan at one restaurant, I've seen fuyu or other sweet-crisp persimmons hollowed out and used as a bowl, with a blanched scallop (not dramatically seasoned, maybe with salt) and some simply seasoned vegetable. It's been a few years so I can't remember what the vegetable or preparation was, but I think it was a kind of aemono (simply dressed cold vegetable which might have something like a a ground sesame "dressing"), or a kind of sunomono (slightly sweetened vinegar marinated vegetables).

You can see one variation of this general idea on Obachan's blog.

speaking of chinese cuisine, im looking for some suggestions in forging persimmon with crab.  and being that persimmon is of chinese origin i though this might be the place to look.  By the way I am speaking of FUYU persimmon.

appreciate any help that comes my way.

←

[Dejah]

Fuyu persimmons are $.98 cents EACH here on the Canadian prairies. I will eat them fresh out of hand, thank you very much!

[Evan]

I've always been taught that you should not mix or eat persimmon and crab together.

here is an excerpt from a website...http://www.eatingchinese.org/dazha/dazha1.htm

Can't eat with the persimmon together:

The ancient medical book records : "If eat crab with persimmons together, it can make people suffer from diarrhoea . "  The reason is that the crab includes the abundant protein, and persimmons includes a lot of tannic acid, the two eat together, will solidify and harden. In addition, the crab and persimmon all belong to the cold and cool things , at the same time can easily cause to uncomfortable if take it excessively . "when suffer crab toxin occasionally , fry purple perilla juice to drink or smash wax juice to drink, that can all dismiss . "

[Pan]

I understand the humoral coolness argument, but not the tannic acid argument, because in that case, it would be considered inadvisable to drink tea while eating crabs, right?

[Pontormo]

While Kristin links a much more comprehensive thread than this, and my question is about desserts rather than something savory, nonetheless, I figure this thread has more chances of being read than others. I have to confess that I've never made anything with persimmons before and have only vague recollections of tasting them.

I have three small Fuyu persimmons that weigh less than half a pound and are headed towards the very ripe state in spots. I know they could have been eaten earlier, but I was saving them to purée and bake into either a traditional persimmon pudding or perhaps as some other type of flan or custard. In any case, since there is so little of the fruit, and I plan to sample some raw, I would like to use individual custard cups instead of steaming one large pudding.

A few questions:

1) This recipe instructs you to purée the fruit unpeeled. It's not advice I've seen in other recipes, and in fact, is a step included in a recipe for the larger Hachiya persimmons vs. the type I have. I thought that if it works, it would intensify flavor. If it doesn't it might mix in an unpleasant flavor and ruin the dessert.

2) I have also read elsewhere how good persimmons are to scoop out, frozen, like sorbet. they become an instant purée. Would this be a way to avoid cleaning the blender, or just not appropriate if you're planning to cook the fruit?

Any feedback based on experience would be welcome.

3) If you have an absolute favorite recipe for a creamy persimmon dessert, please let me know since I am going to wait a day to make it. The post right before this gives me pause since I don't want spices to drown out the taste of this novel fruit. Then again, pumpkin pie sets the standard for all desserts that don't contain chocolate or peaches as far as I'm concerned.

[The Old Foodie]

This sounds pretty good to me:

Tuna, Persimmon, Meyer Lemon and Fennel Salad at http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s1646113.htm [sorry, cant make the direct link work no matter what I do!]

I have seen old recipes for persimmon pulp used in bread, as you would make pumkin bread.

Can they be dried successfully?

[edited to fix the link]

Edited December 8, 2006 by The Old Foodie (log)

[srhcb]

I just found out I'm getting a large shippment of them in from my friend's orchard, along with pomegranates, so I'm going to roll up my sleaves and start developing some recipes!

←

Did you catch this episode of Iron Chef America?

"Chef Joey Campanaro's Venison Menu included, Dijon & Rosemary Roasted Rack of Venison with Parsnip Puree, Grilled Persimmon, Braised Beet Tops, Quince, and Pomegranate Barolo Sauce."

SB (a twofer recipe!)

[Pontormo]

QUESTIONS FOR THE SCIENTIFICALLY INCLINED:

Why does puréed persimmon separate from the custard when baked into a flan?

Would mixing baking soda into the pulp prior to baking a flan:

-taste disgusting?

-keep the ingredients amalgamated without adversely affecting texture or its ability to set?

I've read what McGee says about persimmons, though his focus is primarily on color vis a vis use of baking powder vs. soda in traditional American steamed persimmon puddings.

Deborah Madison refers to an enzyme that makes the puréed fruit collapse/ooze when mixed with baking soda.

Does anyone here know a bit more?

Edited January 2, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Wow! Now I have to try making a persimmon flan, to see this.

I wouldnt puree in the skins of Fuyu persimmons because they are rather tough, but I havent noticed any unpleasant taste to them.

I just steamed up about 10 of them, cut in chunks. They held their shape very well, and were very easy to scoop from the skin after steaming. Im planning on baking a pie similar to pumpkin pie, but with a pecan topping. First I want to cook down the persimmon puree a bit a) to caramelize the sugar in them a bit and b) get rid of some of the water. I will probably spice the pie very lightly, as these persimmons taste rather spicy to me as they are.

[Pontormo]

Hmmm.

Since I've just started to eat and cook with persimmons, I wanted to make something without all the nuts, spices and dried fruits that are traditionally incorporated into steamed puddings, cookies and other sweet preparations of persimmons. I have no way to judge the quality of either the Hichiyas I just bought or the Fuyus I ripened until they were soft. Nonetheless, the flavor is not very pronounced. Thus, the flan, which I thought wouldn't overwhelm the fruit.

I shared this information with Russ Parsons who said he's had similar "issues". I also passed my adapted recipe on to another eG member who reported back with the same results. In an online search for further information, I found a blogger who posted her persimmon flan--yes, with separated layers.

I've got two more Hichiyas at home that are starting to turn into jelly beneath their skins. I was planning on baking a tea cake just for a change. I might try reserving a bit of the fruit to make one more small custard for the sake of advancing scientific knowledge.

[mrbigjas]

I shared this information with Russ Parsons who said he's had similar "issues".  I also passed my adapted recipe on to another eG member who reported back with the same results.  In an online search for further information, I found a blogger who posted her persimmon flan--yes, with separated layers.

that was me, and it was interesting--a layer of bubbly brownish persimmony goodness, topped by a thin layer of flan-iness. it was interesting--tasted good, but a weird texture.

[Kouign Aman]

Fuyu's dont need to be soft. They are eaten while still firm.

Doesnt change the chemistry for baking, but saves time.

They dont get that astonishing astringency.

Thanks for the flan followup. Ilike the idea of layers. I'll make sure I make the layers good and thick! And use a glass pan, and make a small batch only.

Spicing etc. I'm with you, but I've steamed the Fuyu's before and they just cried for pecans, like stilton cries for apples. I dont imagine I'll add any sugar at all. The inherent spiciness reminded me of pumpkin pie, hence the idea. I'll try to cook down the puree today and perhaps get to the pie itself the day after. I'll set aside a little of the puree before and after, to try in the flan.

[Pontormo]

Fuyu's dont need to be soft. They are eaten while still firm.

←

Yes, I know that fuyus can be eaten both firm (e.g., as part of a salad) and softened, usually, in desserts, though steaming hadn't occurred to me. Great idea.

And Janet, regarding drying the fruit, try to find Kristin's linked thread in the Japanese forum; the link is broken now. There is a labor-intensive process in which persimmons are massaged over a long period of drying to ensure skins gain a supple quality, etc. The results are supposed to be delicious--and expensive.

Edited January 2, 2007 by Pontormo (log)

[prasantrin]

My mother just ate a fuyu persimmon, skin and all! I didn't think the skins were edible, but my only experience with persimmons has been in Japan (where most fruit are served peeled).

Generally speaking, do you eat your persimmons peeled or unpeeled?

[hummingbirdkiss]

I eat them like an apple ..never peel them just wash and eat them out of hand ..the skin is not digested I imagine but it is edible..I am assuming since I have consumed more than my share of persimmons in my life ..I adore them!

I also love to eat them sliced up and sprinkled with a tiny squeeze of lime pinch of red chile and a little vanilla sugar on top

really ripe ones dice them up and top vanilla ice cream

in the past when I have been lucky enough to have a load of them ..I dried them ..they dehydrate very well into very sweet long lasting almost candy like pieces

Edited December 7, 2007 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[pennylane]

Funny... the peel is my favourite part!!