"The only real stumbling block is the fear of failure. In cooking, you have got to have a what-the-hell attitude." ~ Julia Child

What to do with all those persimmons…

by Julie on November 17, 2013

in Sugar and Spite, Sweet!

The truth is, I don’t love how persimmons taste. But I love the way they look. I’m shallow like that.

a persimmon

Is there anything more Zen than a persimmon?

But I love the way they taste in other things.

Long, long ago in an age-range far, far away, I had a roommate, Leah, who used to keep persimmons in a hanging basket in our kitchen. Every now and then she’d snatch one up and hold it to her nose. For some reason that stuck with me. They’re a beautiful fruit, both squat little fuyus and the larger, fleshier, coral-colored hachiya.

This fall I’ve been enjoying an embarrassment of persimmon riches. Friends have delivered persimmon-laden baked goods to my door. They’ve invited me over to take free persimmons off their porch. Magazines have fallen open to glorious food-porn photos of Persimmons still on the branch, sitting in rich blue containers, and look! A recipe for persimmons, yogurt, honey and pistachios! OMG!

persimmons

My hands runneth over…

Audge invited her neighbors to come and take the overflow of persimmons from her tree, left in a box on her porch. I ran right over this afternoon. What am I gonna do with these guys? I’m gonna take a whack at those persimmon cookies Audge won’t divulge her recipe for. It will be in her honor. I’ve just got to wait for these girls to ripen up and then stand back! And stay tuned.

What I DO have the recipe for is Maria’s show-stopping fuyu persimmon cake. It’s supposed to be a bundt cake, but Maria’s bundt pan is temperamental. And she didn’t use raisins because they sounded gross to her.

persimmon cake. Photo by Maria McDougall

And somehow it still turned out deliciously…

THEN she asked if I wanted persimmon butter…because she really had a LOT of persimmons…and who am I to say no that?

persimmon butter

Tastes like pumpkin pie…

You can find the AllRecipe notes for this spiced persimmon butter here – you’ll need a slow-cooker (but your house is going to smell like the inside of a crisp autumn day). A note: Because Maria’s 20 fuyu persimmons made way more than the recipe said it would, she upped some of the spices — specifically, she used 1.5 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. clove, and the juice of 1.5 lemons.

This, in a little Mason jar, would make a cute Thanksgiving gift. Or maybe you could stir a dollop into some Greek yogurt and drop a few pistachio nuts on them (this is a riff on the persimmon, honey and pistachio dessert featured in this month’s Bon Appetit magazine). Or just spread it on toast and feel righteous.

So what do YOU do with all your persimmons?

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious December 29, 2013 at 4:04 am

I have been buying Fuyu persimmons by the truckload, because we eat them out of hand like apples. They can stay crisp (unlike the Hachiya variety, which must soften until they are like a balloon full of Jell-O or they will be so astringent as to be inedible). For that reason, Fuyu persimmons are my ‘simmon of choice, because they are more forgiving!

For Christmas dinner, I made this Persimmon Tart from Sunset Magazine, and it was easy and epic! http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spiced-persimmon-tart-50400000131524/ Skip the mascarpone thing though…mine goe weird and seized up and was stupid and no one wanted it. But the tart itself I would make again in a second!

If you do have any more Hachiya and they are jelly-ripe, how about making my Persimmon Ice Cream? http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/persimmon-ice-cream-12-weeks-of-christmas-treats/

And if you are poking around the market and see some other varieties, try them! But free is ALWAYS best. http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/introducing-4-persimmon-varieties/

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