Fuyu Persimmons

[tbb113]

Okay, I did a quick search but its been a while since the topic has come up. A co-worker just gifted the office with LOTS of Fuyu Persimmons.

What should I do with them other than eat them plain (already did that within the first 5 minutes )

[PoppyJ]

I love this salad. Lucky you for getting so many fuyus. My and my DD favorite fruit.

Persimmon and Fennel Salad

The easiest way to peel persimmons is to cut the fruit into wedges and remove the peel from each wedge with a paring knife. We prefer nonastringent Fuyu persimmons in this salad. Serve with roasted pork or chicken.

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 large bulb)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
4 persimmons, each cut into 6 wedges and peeled
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese


Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add fennel, chives, and persimmons; toss gently to coat. Divide fennel mixture evenly among 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 103 (30% from fat); FAT 3.4g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.2g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 3mg; CALCIUM 55mg; CARBOHYDRATE 17.5g; SODIUM 355mg; PROTEIN 2.6g; FIBER 2.1g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2002

[menat]

This is easy & colourful

Exported from MasterCook *

Prosciutto with persimmon, pomegranate & arugula

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : SALADS

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
16 thin slices prosciutto -- (about 8 oz)
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
1 large Fuyu persimmon -- peeled, pitted, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 ounces baby arugula
1/2 cup pistachios -- toasted
Extra-virgin olive oil
Pomegranate vinegar

Arrange 2 prosciutto slices on each plate. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over. Arrange persimmon next to prosciutto. Mound arugula atop prosciutto. Scatter pistachios over. Sprinkle with pepper; drizzle with oil and vinegar.

Yield:
"8 servings"

[kgraham]

I made this one a few years ago when Cooking Light had a feature on persimmons that coincided with my boss giving me a bunch of Fuyus. I loved it and so did my DH! Unfortunately, I seem to receive the Hachiya persimmons more often so I haven't made it since.

Chinese Chicken and Persimmon Lettuce Wraps

Asian preparations are natural for persimmons. You can also serve individual wraps as appetizers.

1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil
1/2 cup minced green onions
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound ground chicken
1 cup chopped peeled ripe Fuyu persimmon (about 2)
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
12 Boston lettuce leaves

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, cornstarch, and chicken to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring to crumble. Add persimmon, water chestnuts, ginger, soy sauce, juice, and oyster sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture into center of each lettuce leaf; roll up jelly-roll fashion.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 wraps)

CALORIES 247 (40% from fat); FAT 11g (sat 2.8g,mono 4g,poly 2.7g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 34mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19.3g; SODIUM 392mg; PROTEIN 20.2g; FIBER 3.4g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2007

[Libra20]

I know this recipe calls for Hachiya, but I've made it with Fuyus that have ripened to as soft as a Hachiya. It just takes a while for them to get that ripe.

PERSIMMON PECAN PUDDING CAKE

● 2 cups of pulp of extremely ripe Hachiya persimmons
● 4 eggs
● 1/2 cup sugar
● 1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Cake Flour Mix ( I used regular flour)
● 2 tbsp. coconut flour
● 1/2 cup butter, melted
● 3/4 cup buttermilk
● 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
● 1 tsp. vanilla
● 1 tsp. baking powder
● 1 tsp. baking soda
● 1/2 tsp. salt
● 1 tsp. cardamom
● 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
● 1 tsp. ginger


Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 8" round cake pan. In a large bowl, mix persimmon pulp, eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Slowly fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add chopped nuts and stir to incorporate. Pour into cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. When done, the center will still be very moist and soft, but the outside of the cake should have formed a firm crust and be well-browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before serving. Slice and serve warm.

[tbb113]

The Chinese Chicken and Persimmon Lettuce Wraps looks really good. Those will go on my list. I also found a bunch of recipes on fooddownunder.com (http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/sea...i?q=persimmons) that will help me use up a bunch of them. I've been busy eating them plain though...so I'm not sure how many I'll have to actual put in a recipe

[kgraham]

Thanks for the link! I think I might try making some spiced persimmon butter....

[Anne]

I think sliced persimmons would be a great topping for cheesecake or sponge cake (similar to strawberry shortcake). They might be a reasonable substitute for mangos in fruit salsas, asian wraps, and grain salads.

[tbb113]

I ended up eating most of them raw. I did make this cake though which is very good. I still have persimmons at the office and that chicken dish is still calling my name

I made the recipe as written except I ran out of cloves so I only had about 1/2 tsp.

Fuyu Bundt Cake
An outstanding cake published some years ago in Sunset magazine.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Preheat oven to 350.

Blend 2 tsp. baking soda into 3 cups of chopped firm Fuyus. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup soft butter with 1 2/3 cups sugar. Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp. lemon juice, and 2 tsp. vanilla and beat until fluffy. Stir in Fuyu mix.

Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground cloves, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Stir flour into Fuyu mixture just until blended. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts and 3/4 cup raisins.

Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 55 - 60 minutes or until toothpick tests clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn onto rack.

[Valerie226]

I haven't had persimmons in a long time. I don't remember what I didn't like but some fruit is hard to get correctly ripened... like mangos. I love them when they're good, but the last ones just never got rip and then spoiled and I got tired of buying them and throwing them out.
I saw persimmons at the store and resolved to give them another try. How ripe is ripe? what do you look for? I remember there being two kinds and I don't remember which one I tried.

[menat]

Just found these recipes, Hopefully you have some persimmons left... although the cake recipe I believe is the same as already posted.

Six Persimmon Recipes

The first four of these recipes won't require you to take sides in the war between aficionados of the fuyu and devotees of the hachiya -- if you aren't already a partisan in that fight. They simply call for persimmon pulp, leaving it to you to decide which variety it comes from.

Fuyus, for the uninitiated, are crunchy like an apple while hachiyas are soft when they're ripe. So hachiyas arguably are better suited for recipes that call for pulp. However, by some accounts, fuyus can be softened up by leaving them in the freezer over night.

The cake recipe specifies use of the fuyu variety, which isn't too surprising since the recipe was published by the Califuyu, the California Fuyu Growers Association. Go to their Web site to learn more about fuyu persimmons. The chutney recipe calls for persimmons that can be blanched and diced. Ripe hachiyas would never stand up to such treatment so it's probably safe to assume that the recipe, from a senior citizens center in Tasmania, calls for fuyus.

Persimmon Cookies I

1 tsp. Baking soda
1 c Sieved persimmon pulp
1/2 c Butter or margarine
1 c Sugar
1 Egg
2 c Flour
1 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ground cloves
1/2 tsp. Ground nutmeg
1 c Raisins and/or nuts.

Stir soda into persimmon pulp and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in egg, then persimmon mixture.
Sift flour with baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Add to creamed mixture along with raisins or nuts. Mix thoroughly.
Drop by teaspoons onto greased baking sheets and bake at 350F 8 to 10 minutes.


Persimmon Cookies II

1 c Persimmon pulp
2 c Flour
1 c Sugar
1 c Butter
1 tsp. Soda
1 Egg
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Clove
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg

Cream shortening and sugar.
Beat in egg and pulp.
Add dry ingredients.
Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.


Persimmon Chews

1 c Dark brown sugar, packed
1 c Uncooked persimmon pulp, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 c Black walnuts, chopped
2 Egg yolks
1 tb Butter
1/4 c Confectioners's sugar mixed with 1/4 cup finely chopped black walnuts

In the top of a double boiler, combine brown sugar, persimmon pulp, black walnuts, egg yolks and butter.
Put boiler top over base containing boiling water; cook for 25 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Cool for about an hour. Form into balls about the size of a walnut, roll in the mixture of confectioners' sugar and chopped walnuts, and refrigerate about an hour before serving.
To store, pack in airtight tin with waxed paper between the layers; keep in a cool place.


Persimmon Rice Pudding

4 cups cooked rice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins
2 cups persimmon pulp
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Combine rice and pulp; set aside. Combine sugar, milk, flour, egg and vanilla.
Add rice mixture and mix well.
Stir in nuts and raisins.
Pour into a greased 3 quart baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until set.
Serve hot or cold.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Fuyu Bundt Cake

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Preheat oven to 350.
Blend 2 tsp. baking soda into 3 cups of chopped firm Fuyus. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup soft butter with 1 2/3 cups sugar.
Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp. lemon juice, and 2 tsp. vanilla and beat until fluffy.
Stir in Fuyu mix.
Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. ground cloves, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg.
Stir flour into Fuyu mixture just until blended.
Add 1 cup chopped walnuts and 3/4 cup raisins.
Pour into prepared bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 55 - 60 minutes or until toothpick tests clean.
Cool in pan 15 minutes. Turn onto rack.


Persimmon Chutney

12 persimmons
6 lemons
½ cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. chilli sauce or powder
2 tblsp. finely chopped raw ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups cider vinegar
½ cup currants (optional)

Cut up lemons and soak in vinegar overnight.
Blanch persimmons in boiling water for 5 minutes, then peel and dice.
Add the lemons with all other ingredients and bring to boil.
Continue boiling for about 40 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from stove, allow mixture to cool, bottle and seal.

[menat]

More on the subject...

Freezer Persimmon Jam
(yields 4 cups)

1 1/2 pounds soft Fuyu-type persimmons; 3 cups sugar
or
1 1/2 pounds soft-ripe 1 pouch (3 oz.) Hachiya-type persimmons
liquid pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice
1. Cut or pull off stems from persimmons; discard stems. If Fuyu-type persimmons are firm enough, peel with a knife. For soft fruit, cut in half and scoop out pulp. Discard any seeds and skin.

2. If using Fuyu-type persimmons, mash pulp, or coarsely chop using a knife or food processor (do not purée); you should have 1 1/2 cups fruit. If using Hachiya-type persimmons, cut pulp into about 1/2-inch chunks; you should have 2 cups fruit.

3. In a bowl, mix fruit and sugar; let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix pectin and lemon juice; add to fruit and stir gently for 3 minutes (mixing vigorously traps air bubbles, making the jam cloudy). Fill 1/2-pint jars or freezer containers to 1/2 inch of rim. Cover, and let stand 12 to 16 hours at room temperature. You can store unopened jam in covered jars in the refrigerator up to 6 months, up to 1 month if opened. Freeze to store longer; cover and chill thawed jam.


Another Persimmon Chutney II

2 pounds crisp-ripe to soft-ripe Fuyu-type
persimmons;
or
2 pounds soft-ripe Hachiya-type persimmons
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon mustard seed
31/2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 pound (2 cups) dried apricots
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1. To prepare Fuyu-type persimmons, cut off stems and peel with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. chop fruit, discarding any seeds; you need 4 1/2 cups fruit. To prepare Hachiya-type persimmons, pull off stems, then cut fruit in half and scoop pulp from skin with a spoon; you need 2 2/3 cups fruit. Set fruit aside.

2. If using Fuyu-type persimmons, in a 5- to 6-quart pan combine fruit with water, apricots, raisins, ginger, mustard seed, and chili powder. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, then cover and cook 10 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally then more frequently as mixture thickness, until most of the liquid evaporates and chutney is reduced to 7 cups, about 45 minutes; remove from heat.

3. If using Hachiya-type persimmons, in a 5- to 6- quart pan bring water, apricots, raisins, ginger, mustard, and chili to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook 10- minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until reduced to 41/2 cups, about 55 minutes. Stir in Hachiya-type fruit and remove at once from heat.
4. Serve chutney warm, or store in covered jars in the refrigerator up to 1 month; or freeze in easy-to-use units.

Source: Sunset Annual Recipe


Freezing Persimmons

Preparation: Select orange-colored, soft-ripe persimmons. Sort, wash, peel and cut into sections. Press fruit through a sieve to make a purée. For a better product, to each quart of purée add 1/8 teaspoon (375 mg) ascorbic acid. Purée made from made from native varietiesneeds no sugar. Purée made from cultivated varieties may be packed with or without sugar.

Packing: Pack unsweetened puree into containers. Leave head space. Seal and freeze. Or, mix 1 cup sugar with each quart (2 pounds) of purée and pack into containers. Leave head space. Seal and freeze.


Dried Persimmons

Preparation: Use firm fruit of long, soft varieties or fully ripe fruit
of round drier varieties. Peel and slice using stainless steel knife. Drying time takes 12 to 15 hours.

For Fuyu variety, select firm fruit; for Hachiya variety, let fruit ripen until soft. Peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Dry in dehydrator/oven from 14 to 18 hours until fruit is light to medium brown; tender but not sticky. Or you may syrup blanch.

Syrup Blanching: Blanching fruit in syrup helps it retain color fairly well during drying and storage. The resulting product is similar to candied fruit. Fruits that can be syrup blanched include: applies, apricots, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums and prunes. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup light corn syrup and 2 cups water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Add 1 pound of prepared fruit and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let fruit stand in hot syrup for 30 minutes. Lift fruit out of syrup, rinse lightly in cold water, drain on paper towels and place on
dryer trays.