http://www.innvista.com/health/foods/fruits/persim.htm
How to Use Persimmons
Persimmons range in color from orange red to yellow. They are similar
in texture to fresh tomatoes and about the same
size. Some varieties of persimmon are astringent and puckery until
very ripe, but others are mild and non astringent.
Astringency is due to large amounts of tannin, the same as found in
tea. As the fruit ripens and sweetens naturally, the
tannin disappears. Tannin can be made tasteless by placing the fresh
fruit in a tight container for several days.
The Hachiya Persimmon is considered the largest and handsomest of all
persimmons. In California it is usually seedless.
The fruit is oval in shape. Skin is a glossy, deep orange red with one
side dark to black. Flesh is deep yellow - very
astringent until soft. It is rich and sweet when ripe. The Fuyu
variety is sweet and non astringent, even when firm.
Persimmons are in markets from late September through December. They
are picked when mature and allowed to ripen.
They ripen just as well off the tree as on. Persons unfamiliar with
the persimmon often try to serve them before they
are fully mature and fully ripe. Most persimmon lovers like them best
when they are soft and almost jelly-like.
Persimmons are an excellent source of Vitamin A. One medium size fruit
furnishes one half the A needed daily. It
furnishes about a fifth of the Vitamin C needed, and is a fair source
of iron. It has about 95 calories, which is about twice
as high as a medium peach or two apricots - but about the same as a
medium sized banana, 3 small figs, a cup of grapes,
a large orange, or a medium sized pear.
Storing Persimmons
Store Persimmons in a cool place. Keep bringing some into a warm place
to ripen as you use them. They will keep for a
long time, but as more ripen than you need, place them in the
refrigerator or freezer whole or make into puree and
freeze.
To Serve
Breakfast Fruit: Wash, chill, peel, slice and serve with cream for
breakfast. Good with cereal too.
Salads: For salads use chilled unpeeled persimmons at the firm, ripe
stage. Cut them in halves, quarters or crosswise
slices. Beautiful and delicious with almost all fall fruits -
particularly nice with avocado and grapefruit.
Desserts: For dessert, place unpeeled fruit stem end down; cut two
deep crosswise slashes through the top and
spoon the jelly like pulp out of the skin. Chilled whole persimmons
are good slashed down with a dip of vanilla ice
cream in the center or try serving with cheese and crackers. Use
persimmons in cookies, cakes, puddings or pies. The
pulp is used like apple sauce or pumpkin to give moist, rich texture
and delicate flavor to baked desserts. Since the
flavor is mild, do not over spice.
**Note that soda is used in most recipes where heat is used. As a
general rule, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda to
each cupful of persimmon pulp - and low heat is stressed, as is the
use of soft ripe fruit to insure against bitterness and
astringency.
Prepare Puree
A blender is ideal for preparing persimmon puree for use in baking, in
jams or for freezing for later use. The fruit need
not be peeled; however, cut out any defects and slice off the
blackened portion of any peel. This blackened peel, as with
the Hachiya, becomes dryer than the rest of the peel and causes black
flecks in the puree. The flecks shows up in jam or
ice cream but really make no difference when the pulp is to be used in
puddings, pies, cakes or cookies. If a blender is
not available, put fruit through a food mill or press through a
colander, strainer or sieve.
Peruse the recipes. Adapt some of your own favorite recipes using
persimmon pulp or puree to replace applesauce,
pumpkin or carrots in cakes, cookies, and puddings. Concoct your own
original recipe. Experiment. Have fun. Use and
enjoy the delicious Persimmon.
barsanaorchards.com/persimmons.pdf - |
