Persimmons

[cyalexa]

Smithy, thanks for the pudding recipe.

[highchef]

Persimmon tree puts out like crazy this time every year. I have downloaded hundreds of persimmon recipes and scoured hundreds of old cookbooks but the recipes tend to be pretty much the same.  Pudding, cake, cookies etc. with the same fall spices. Kinda like pumpkin…

even ‘The Flavor Bible’ notes that no matter what you do with persimmon, they will always taste like persimmon pudding. I’ve got lots of pulp put up and I’m determined to find something new to change things up.any ideas are welcome. According to the Bible, a few things I’ve not tried are Chile peppers, brandy, grapes and caramel. I have tried a salad with kumquats (a recommended pairing) and put pecans in a pudding. The regular suspects just prove the point that they tend to all just taste like persimmon something…syrup, orange, cinnamon, allspice, ginger etc. 

would love to mix up with the serranos I have, but no clue how. The pulp is soft, will not hold a shape like the firmer types. 
ideas anyone?

[heidih]

So you have the hachiya ones. I've only grown the fuyu (firm). Don't personally care for the custard one out of hand - well spoon. That said if you have the pulp I've had it stirred into a spicy coconut curry while simmering for instance. Just adds a creamy interesting element. Someone I know once used it in tortellini - had to account for it more soft character as opposed to winter squash.  I've stirred it into a spicy bean chili. Gumbo maybe given your stated location? I find fresh grated ginger takes it into a more savory place. 

[sartoric]

I made a persimmon and chilli jam once. It was rather yummy with cheese and crackers.

[TdeV]

Persimmon pulp and vanilla ice cream. Or whole cream (DH's favourite).

 

[lemniscate]

Would persimmon be good as a base for a blended salad dressing, like a fruit based French dressing version?  BBQ sauce base?  Fruit leather?  Can they be pickled?   Or make a persimmon flavored vinegar?  Persimmon curry?  Or chutney?

 

I have to admit I haven't come across any persimmons in my edible history, so I'm just winging it here on ideas?

[heidih]

1 hour ago, lemniscate said:

Would persimmon be good as a base for a blended salad dressing, like a fruit based French dressing version?  BBQ sauce base?  Fruit leather?  Can they be pickled?   Or make a persimmon flavored vinegar?  Persimmon curry?  Or chutney?

 

I have to admit I haven't come across any persimmons in my edible history, so I'm just winging it here on ideas?

The issue with the original poster's persimmon access is that they are the custard ones. The other type yes in a mixed chutney. The ofties worth a whirl in your suggested salad dressing idea - right color for "French"  

[highchef]

On 10/15/2021 at 6:36 PM, sartoric said:

I made a persimmon and chilli jam once. It was rather yummy with cheese and crackers.

What kind of chilies? I’ve made jam with them in the past, but might as well just stick a knife in one and spread it straight up.

[highchef]

On 10/15/2021 at 6:56 PM, TdeV said:

Persimmon pulp and vanilla ice cream. Or whole cream (DH's favourite).

 

That seems to be the fav here…why go to the trouble of making pudding if it’s going to taste the same! I’ve frozen them and eaten them with a spoon. Good in the summer.

[highchef]

Ok, I’m going to mix some pulp into a sweet jalapeño relish I put up. Am not holding much hope for the result, but we shall see. Gonna wait for the batch on the sill to get soft. Will share. Would do serranos as recommended, but did not put any up this year.

[highchef]

On 10/15/2021 at 6:02 PM, heidih said:

So you have the hachiya ones. I've only grown the fuyu (firm). Don't personally care for the custard one out of hand - well spoon. That said if you have the pulp I've had it stirred into a spicy coconut curry while simmering for instance. Just adds a creamy interesting element. Someone I know once used it in tortellini - had to account for it more soft character as opposed to winter squash.  I've stirred it into a spicy bean chili. Gumbo maybe given your stated location? I find fresh grated ginger takes it into a more savory place. 

I don’t see it in gumbo. Maybe in a bisquit dough as a side. That’s a thought.

[sartoric]

7 hours ago, highchef said:

What kind of chilies? I’ve made jam with them in the past, but might as well just stick a knife in one and spread it straight up.

I’m sorry I can’t remember, would have been red and whatever we were growing at the time. My best guess is Birdseye. I guess the beauty of it is that you can store it forever. I still have a jar going, from at least five years ago.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Smoothie with yogurt?    Husband likes persimmon cookies so I freeze pulp in 2 cup containers for use out of season. 

(Like zucchini, you can give them to "friends".)

Edited October 18, 2021 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

Just received a nifty new cookbook--Aguas Frescas and Paletas--and there's a recipe for persimmon popsicles. 3 c. ripe persimmons, roughly chopped (I assume these are not the pudding type but I'm sure it could be adapted), 2/3 c. coconut milk, 1/3 oat (or other plant-based) milk, 2 Tbs. maple syrup, 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg. The recipe also calls for 1/2 c. puffed amaranth but I'm sure you can leave it out. Combine ingredients (except for amaranth) in a blender and buzz until smooth. Pour into molds, insert stick, and freeze. If you want to use the puffed amaranth, stir it into the mix. I suppose it gives a little crunch.

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:

Just received a nifty new cookbook--Aguas Frescas and Paletas--and there's a recipe for persimmon popsicles.

 

I can vouch for persimmon pops.  Last year, I made persimmon & cream, persimmon & yogurt and straight persimmon. All were good. See this post for photo. 

I didn't add any spices to mine.  They were sweetened with honey and I used lime juice to balance the sweetness. 

 

Right now, I'm still enjoying the crisp sweetness of the fuyu persimmons I get at the farmers market but I was thinking of more persimmon pops, maybe with coconut milk and fresh ginger, as the season winds down. 

[liuzhou]

I thought persimmons were the only fruit I've encountered that I really don't like. Then recently, I accidentally ate a dried persimmon, a highly popular snack round here. That I did like, so I revisited the fresh type. Still didn't like it, at all. But I've been buying the dried ones ever since.

 

Dried Persimmon

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[Smithy]

I grew up with Hachiya persimmons. My mother always made persimmon cookies with them as part of the holiday baking sprees, and I had strongly polarized feelings about them: some flavor was nice, but what was that awful overlay? It was only recently that I realized I don't like, have never liked, and probably will never like the spices that go along with pumpkin pie -- and those are the spices used in the persimmon cookies and persimmon bread of my youth. 

 

When I got a windfall of them a few years ago I experimented with making persimmon bread, completely ignoring the usual suspects, and instead going with ginger, cardamom, coriander, saffron and a touch of Berbere seasoning. The loaves came out very well in flavor and texture. You can see them here. In fairness I should note that nobody actually identified the persimmon in the bread! One taster thought it a ginger bread; another knew there was fruit but couldn't identify it.

 

The linked post is part of a larger discussion about spices that go well with persimmons. Cardamom got the most votes.

[Smithy]

On 10/15/2021 at 5:06 PM, highchef said:

The pulp is soft, will not hold a shape like the firmer types. 

 

Another idea: as I recall these persimmons have so much pectin that the pulp sets up in a heartbeat after you cook it. Could you cook it down and then pour it into molds for a firmer dessert? Maybe use some gelatin to firm it up, if freezing destroys the pectin? (I don't remember whether pectin is affected by freezing.)

 

I made persimmon panna cotta last year. It tasted good but was rather bland. My husband and I agreed that it needed something to brighten its flavor and appearance. He, the traditionalist, opted for whipped cream. I thought a drizzle of prickly pear syrup was just the right touch.

[Kim Shook]

Jessica bought these persimmons last Friday. They were hard and the man said they would ripen on the counter. They are still pretty hard and are starting to get these little spots. Are they rotting before ripening?

[heidih]

Kind of like when your IT guy says "did you unplug wait and re-plug?" Cut into one and see. They are the firm ones so should be sweet & crunchy.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Yup.   Just peel and slice.   We use a dressing of citrus + brown sugar + cumin + olive oil.   S and p.    I've have dinner guests call and ask for the recipe.   

[heidih]

You are way too classy for me, I do not peel. Just cut and eat. They have - to me - the fragrance and taste what some consider "pumpkin pie spice". I have trees but the animals always beat me to it so have to go Farmers Market.

[weinoo]

A little more on yours (Fuyu) vs. the Hachiyas...Hachiya vs. Fuyu.

[TdeV]

Curious about that article, Mitch, is that the writer never identifies which image is the Fuyu or Hachiya. 🙄

[weinoo]

3 hours ago, TdeV said:

Curious about that article, Mitch, is that the writer never identifies which image is the Fuyu or Hachiya. 🙄

 

The writer gives a hint:

HACHIYA VS. FUYU: SHAPE

Both hachiya and fuyu persimmons can range from a light yellow-orange to a deeper, dark reddish orange. In shape, however, the two varieties have distinct differences. Hachiya persimmons are typically an elongated shape, simlar to an acorn or a very plum roma tomato. 

 

The fuyu variety is round and squat, similar in shape to a beefsteak tomato.