Photograph by Bennett Pruitt
Even now and then I think I really could be a fruitarian since I consume so many fruits daily. I'd rather eat a mango than a piece of chicken! But there were certain fruits I wasn’t fond of growing up, and persimmon is one of them. I have wised up since then and now appreciate this tangy sweet fruit a bit more.
When you see this beautiful deep golden to deep orange colored fruits at your grocery store, they are Fuyu variety. They are often firm, and you can eat them like an apple. They will get slightly softer as you let it ripen some more. The flavor and texture are between ripe mango and papaya with their own unique fragrance. Even though the skin is thin and edible, I prefer to peel it off.
It’s best to eat persimmons raw or use in salad or salsa. You can also use the pulp in sorbet, jam, smoothies, quick breads, muffins, and cakes. Think of it as a foreign cousin to a peach.
Here is my favorite way to eat these delicious fruit.
Persimmon Cream Tart
Nut crust:
2 cups pecans
4 tbsp butter, melted
3 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
Mix all ingredients in a food processor—pulse until nuts are finely chopped. Transfer to a butter-lined, 9-inch tart pan. Press the crust evenly over the bottom and the sides of the pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly brown. Let cool before adding the filling.
Filling:
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup whipping cream, whipped until firm
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together in a large mixing bowl, fold in whipped cream. Spread the mixture evenly in the crust.
Topping:
2 persimmons, sliced
2 tbsp peach jam, heated
Arrange persimmon slices onto the filling and brush peach jam on top. Refrigerate at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
