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Mon 27 Nov, 2017 11:08 am
Recently, I must have had a brain fart, since I picked up three of these beauties when they were on sale.
I have questions:
- What can I do with them? Eat, obviously, but is there a special way to prepare them? Also, is there some nice way to make a dessert out of them or something?
- Are there special things I need to look out for? Do they need to be hard, or soft before I try them out?
Advice would be appreciated: I'm not at all used to these, and I don;t like the trial and error approach to stuff I don't know in terms of eating, since I might go all wrong about it, and then not like the taste, and therefor unjustly never eat it again.
@najmelliw,
Martha Stewart's site shows lots of ideas, but I couldn't nab the link due to my present computer situation - but you can.
Just check out Martha Stewart, persimmons.
@najmelliw,
The kind that originated in the Americas are a very stringent fruit that's gotta be ripe.(I believe that whatever is grown in N Europe probably derives from these fruits) SO, unlike the Asian kind, ya gotta wait till these things are almost mooshy , then you cut m and eat the "pudding". They are often used to make a prsimmon butter which has a nice spicey tste like a quince jelly (except more dense with spicey notes)
We call em POSSUM FRUIT nd all kinds of animals can climb the trees and knosh on the fruits over the winter. They grow wild along field margins along with sassafras and paw paw. NOW paw paws, thats really something good. I ate a persimmon in the field once, many yeqrs ago. The astringency still sticks with me so Ill maybe try an asian persimmon every few years (and only after someone else has first eaten one from the same gift fruit box ).
Paw Paw is more like te size of a small durian fruit but without that sweat sock smell.
I always thought of persimmons as best eaten as is. I'm thinking more of the wild American persimmon and the Texas persimmon. To encounter them in the wild is to gorge on them to excess. I also think they're best after being frozen. Of course to bite into an unripe, astringent persimmon is an awful, mouth-puckering experience not soon forgotten.
I haven't had a lot of experience with the cultivated varieties such as Kaki, but I would think the riper the better, even over ripe.
I buy a few persimmons each year from HEB. I don't know anything about them, except they have to have a certain softness for me to spend the money. Variety, point of origin - means nothing. Just, they are delicious.
American or Common persimmon ready to eat.
Texas or black persimmon. They're smaller and messier but just as good.
Thank you all for the replies. The fruit I bought was considerably bigger than the ones in the pictures you've shown, coluber. I will wait until they are soft and try them first as is. If I like them enough, I'll buy more and use them in recipes (I love fruit, in all shape and forms, truthfully.)
@najmelliw,
Do you know if they are fuyu or hachiya?
Cousin Martha has a good slide show of ideas - and links
https://www.marthastewart.com/275469/persimmon-recipes?slide=3404071
You'll have to back up from the link to get to the front of the slide-show
@ehBeth,
I reckon they are Hachiya, they are a bit elongated and end in a bit of a point.
@najmelliw,
from the slide show
Quote:Unripened hachiyas are too tannic to eat, but once ripe, the fruit becomes very soft and is great in baked goods.
our neighbours have a Japanese patisserie
they make a square croissant with custard and hachiya baked on top
like this but square
so good!
___
this has a nice discussion of the varieties and a great - looking recipe
Quote: When fully ripe, Hachiya skins thin and the fruit swells like a water ballon. If you’re eating them ripe, it’s easiest to cut the top off and scoop out the jelly-like insides with a spoon. The flavor is intense and heady with notes of honey, and almost an overripe mango-apricot flavor. My farmer lady said they tasted like ripe honeyed plums. And I overheard another mention dates. So, I would highly recommend seeking them out and letting your taste buds have a go at trying to describe the elusive Hachiya, only to be left with: “they taste like Hachiyas!”
http://nourishedkitchen.com/roasted-persimmon-and-ginger-custard/
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