Yes you read that right, it’s persimon with one ‘m’, rather than two, because they come from a Spanish farm near Valencia. Persimons are also known as Sharon fruit or kaki fruit, and come in two types: astringent and non-astringent. You can eat both types raw, like apples. These persimons are non-astringent so look out for them in the shops, they are in season from October to January and perfect for halloween.
I’ve spent the last three weeks playing with persimons, pushing the envelope as to what I can achieve with this ingredient. See the menu, pictures and recipes below for ideas.
Being Halloween, I had no idea when the bell rang if it was guests or Trick or Treaters! I had a gourd full of sweets to give away near the door.
Persimon leather rolled into pinwheels with goat’s cheese, bergamot zest and mint 
Menu
Pink cava with persimon slices
Persimon pani puri with persimon and tamarind water
Persimon fruit leather, goat’s cheese, bergamot pinwheels
Pumpkin and persimon soup with persimon bread
Roast hake with persimon and avocado salsa
Stuffed baked persimons with matcha sushi rice, salted kumquats and pistachios (V)
Baked camembert stuffed with persimons, served with sourdough seeded crispbread
Persimon pudding
Crema Catalana with persimon
Persimon pavlova
Sliced thinly and dried, persimons make great dried snacks 
Les girls dressed up
Baked camembert stuffed with persimon 
Persimon bread
Persimon Pav 
Flexible front of house Charles who also works as a pole dancer
Persimon Catalan cream
Ingredients
- 225 g double cream
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste
- 50g palm sugar/natural cane sugar/light brown sugar/demerara
- 60 g (3 or 4) egg yolks
- pinch sea salt
- 50 g persimon puree
Instructions
- Put the cream and the vanilla in a saucepan and simmer until steaming.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and fluffy.
- Carefully 'temper' the cream mixture into the egg yolks by adding a little, then adding the rest, whisking all the time. Pour back into the pan and continue to stir until you can draw a line in the custard on the spoon.
- Preheat the oven to 120ºC.
- Add the persimon and salt to the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the ramekins in the baking tray. Boil a kettle.
- Fill the baking tray until halfway up the ramekins with hot water.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Place in the fridge overnight.
- Place a fan of persimon fruit on top and serve.
Persimon salsa
Ingredients
- 1 persimon, skinned, not too ripe, diced
- 1 avocado, ripe, diced
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 jalapenos, roasted, skinned, seeded and diced
- 2 limes, juice of
- 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
Instructions
- Prep all the ingredients and mix together. Chill until using.
Baked stuffed persimons with matcha rice, salted kumquats, pistachios 
Persimon fruit leather
Stuffed persimons
Ingredients
- 5 persimons, not too ripe
- 100 g sushi rice
- 2 tbsp matcha green tea, finely ground
- 400 ml vegetable stock for the rice
- 3 salted kumquats or lemons, finely chopped
- 100 g halloumi, diced
- 50 g pistachios or pine nuts
- olive oil for roasting
Instructions
- Cut the lid off the persimon and set aside. Scoop out the insides.
- Make the rice by mixing the rice, green tea and vegetable stock and cooking in a rice steamer or on the stove top.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC
- When the rice is cooked, mix with the salted citrus, halloumi and nuts.
- Stuff the persimons with the rice mixture. Place in the baking tin and place the persimon 'hats' on top like lids.
- Brush with olive oil.
- Bake for 45 minutes and serve hot
Southern style persimon pudding 
Persimon pudding
Ingredients
- 5 persimons, skinned and blended
- 60 g salted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 200 g light brown sugar
- 200 ml maple syrup or sugar
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- handful pistachio nibs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease the baking tin with butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the fruit pulp, butter, eggs, sugar, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into the baking tin.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Sprinkle with pistachio nibs. Will last for a week.
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