The sight of brilliant orange persimmons dangling from the branches of virtually leafless trees always makes me smile.
For years, though, the memory of that one shockingly tannic, under-ripe persimmon I had bitten into during junior high led me to think of the beautiful fall fruit as little more than nature’s holiday ornaments. They were attractive displayed in a bowl or arranged in a centerpiece but I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to eat them.
Then I joined a community garden with a bountiful persimmon tree and decided to give the fruit another chance. What a difference a variety makes! These were Fuyus, nearly as crisp as an apple, spicy and sweet even when not completely ripe. They were great for eating out of hand or tossing in a salad.
My first persimmon encounter had been with a Hachiya, which at the time was most common in Bay Area backyards. Hachiyas must be extremely ripe and almost squishy before they lose the heavy tannins that make your lips pucker and eyes water. By then, the flesh has turned almost to jelly and I still find the texture unappealing for eating fresh. They’re best when cooked in puddings and cakes.
The varieties are easily identified by sight. Fuyus are short, squat and shaped like miniature pumpkins. Hachiyas look like oversized acorns with a pointed end.
Persimmon and fennel salad makes the most of Fuyus, playing their spicy sweetness against the faintly anise flavor of fresh fennel and the lively pepper of watercress. The raspberry dressing, which may seem a little sharp on its own, brings all the flavors together.
I’ve adapted this recipe slightly from one I found in “California Fresh Harvest,” the Junior League of Oakland-East Bay’s 2001 celebration of Northern California produce. A touch of prepared Dijon mustard is substituted for the original recipe’s mustard seeds and the dressing now is made in a blender for a better emulsion and easier preparation.
This elegant salad draws raves whenever I serve it. You can bet it will be on my table this Thanksgiving.
Serves 4
1 small ripe pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons chopped shallots
¼ cup raspberry vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard seed
½ cup mild olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
3 cups mixed salad greens
1 small bunch watercress
1 small head endive,
3 firm Fuyu persimmons
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
½ cup pecan halves, toasted
To make vinaigrette: Whirl pear, shallots, vinegar and mustard in a blender until pureed. With motor running, slowly add olive oil in a thin stream until incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Divide the mixed greens, watercress and endive leaves evenly among 4 chilled salad plates. Peel and thinly slice persimmons, arrange with fennel on greens and sprinkle with pecans. Drizzle with vinaigrette to taste. Alternately, toss salad ingredients with dressing in a large bowl.
Adapted from ”California Fresh Harvest” (The Junior League of Oakland-East Bay)
I agree that Fuys are wonderful fruit for eating fresh. But you don’t have to wait until your Hachiyas have turned into water balloons to enjoy them. If you dehydrate Hachiyas when they’re orange, but still firm, the tannins miraculously disappear, and you get a nice dried fruit to eat and to share.
Core and peel the firm Hachiyas, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick. Dehydrate at 130F for about 18 hours. This is a way to get through a mountain of fruits without having to make 20 loaves of persimmon bread. Although steamed persimmon pudding is worth the trouble of letting three Hachiyas turn squishy in your back porch. My favorite recipe is here
Of course, hardcore persimmon driers will make hoshigaki. But I like my dehydrator.
Diana,
Thank you for your persimmon wisdom. Since I don’t have a persimmon tree, I’ve never dried them. This sounds like a great solution for the happy problem of an abundant harvest. How do you use the dried fruit?
Hooray for Fuyus! I, too, had a bad experience with a Hachiya that put me off for years, so discovering the delights of Fuyu was a huge gift. I appreciate the idea of pear as part of the salad dressing – is that the equivalent of using prunes or figs as a moisturizing element in cakes and cookies? I can’t quite tell from the photo, but the other secret beauty of Fuyus is that if you slice them from side to side instead of stem to bottom, you get a beautiful star pattern from the seed “holes.” Seeing those, I believe, also helps convince the leary that Fuyus, persmissons they may be, are something tasty. Thanks again for the great recipe and fabulous photo!
Sara,
The pear adds a complementary flavor to the dressing and aids emulsification. So you get a nice, thick dressing without additional fat. I didn’t cut the Fuyus so the star pattern showed for this salad because the persimmons were quite large and the slices would be too big. Smaller persimmons would look very pretty sliced horizontally.
Seeing those beautiful persimmons makes me smile. I am such a huge fan and was hoping you’d write about them! I plan on eating them until every last one is plucked off my neighborhood trees.
I just made this salad for a potluck dinner and it was great! I still have fennel growing in the garden, and plenty of persimmons. I did not have any raspberry vinegar so made due with apple cider vinegar. Thanks so much.