Every autumn I have seen these strange looking orange fruit in the produce section, but I didn't really know what they were or what to do with them. They appear only briefly and are quickly snatched up, so apparently, someone likes them. I recently purchased some, determined to learn how to prepare them.
As I was flipping through some cookbooks and after searching online for some inspiration, I learned that not all persimmons are created equal. I was happy to find Chef Ben Ford's
Persimmon Salad with Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans. But, as I read the recipe further, he talked about two different kinds of persimmons, Fuyu and Hachiya. Some further research confirmed that I had unfortunately purchased the more commonly found, but somewhat less desirable, Hachiya, which is more elongated and acorn-shaped than the squat Fuyu.
The Hachiya has an "astringent" flavor before they are fully ripened. And when they are fully ripened, they are little more than orange bags of gelatinous goo. Not exactly well-suited for a salad. The most practical use for the Hachiya persimmon is in baked goods like cookies, muffins or bread. Disappointed that I couldn't try Ben's salad, I turned my attention to finding an interesting bread recipe. After a few days, I found this one, an adaptation of a James Beard recipe. The inclusion of whiskey as an ingredient peaked my curiosity. The salad would just have to wait until Thanksgiving Dinner, depending on whether or not I could find the elusive, more firm-textured Fuyu persimmon.
With our upcoming trip to the Finger Lakes, I didn't have the time to make the bread right away, so I waited until the Hachiyas on my counter turned squishy. I then peeled them, scooped out the insides and froze the pulp until I was ready to bake. The smell was a bit strange, but the pulp didn't taste bad.
Turning the clocks back in early November provided the extra hour I needed. The pulp thawed nicely in the fridge overnight. I made half of the recipe because I only had one cup of pulp. The half-batch was plenty to make two small 7" long loaves using some adorable paper bakeware I had picked up at the store several weeks earlier. I had never used paper bakeware before, but thought it was a great idea for gift-giving of homemade breads for the holidays. I was impressed with the results and would definitely use them again.
The recipe was quite easy to follow. I took the advice of the author and used the higher
amount of sugar, and I chose the options of toasted walnuts and dried cranberries. I didn't puree the persimmon pulp, I just added it as is to the batter. The batter was quite lumpy with the addition of a cup each of the nuts and dried fruit, and filled the two paper bread pans almost to the brim. Luckily the bread didn't rise very much while baking and none of it spilled into the oven.
I'm not a big baker (too much precise measuring for me--sounds strange for an engineer to say, huh?), but the bread turned out wonderfully. Perfectly browned and moist. The texture was quite dense, similar to fruitcake, but not too sweet, and was nice and crunchy with the additional of all those nuts. The morsels of tart cranberries and sweet persimmon were tasty. It's a nice auntumn treat and would be delicious with some cream cheese. I froze one of the loaves to enjoy later this winter.
I was luckily able to finally find some Fuyu persimmons at the store the other day. The big box was almost empty! They should store well in the refrigerator for a few weeks, but probably not long enough to make it to Thanksgiving. So, I'll have to keep looking for them and enjoy these now. I've learned they are quite popular at Vietnamese markets, where they're called Cây hồng, so I'll have to pay a visit to my local market in Bethlehem shortly before Thanksgiving to get some fresh ones.
As is usually the case, I've learned a lot from my Persimmon Adventure. I've learned there are two different kinds of persimmons--Hichiya (astringent) and Fuyu (non-astringent). I've learned that persimmons are one of the most widely grown fruit in the world, but are most poular in Asia. The persimmon is the latest ripening fruit. The persimmon tree is part of the Ebony family; therefore the wood is quite hard and is often used for golf club heads. The persimmon has been eaten for thousands of years and the use of oil from the persimmon tree was mentioned in the Bible. The latin name for persimmons is "Diospyros," originating from Ancient Greek, meaning "Divine Fruit." Finally, I learned that some varieties of persimmons are cold hardy, native to the Eastern US, and can even grow in Pennsylvania. Hmmmm...maybe I'll have to add a tree or two to my garden.