Persimmons are delicious eaten fresh, like a crunchy apple, or as a flavoursome addition to autumn salads and cheese platters. You can eat them soft or firm, and the best part is, their skin is edible too, making them waste-free!
Persimmon & herb chicken salad
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 Fuyu (crisp) persimmons
- 400g chicken breasts, chargrilled or barbecued
- 2 cups flat leaf parsley
- 1 cup mint leaves
- 1/3 cup toasted macadamias, roughly chopped
- cracked pepper to serve
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp thyme leaves, chopped
Method
- Cut persimmons in half and thinly slice. Slice or shred chicken breasts.
- In a large bowl, toss together persimmon, parsley and mint.
- Divide salad between four plates and top with chicken.
- In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and spoon over salad, season with cracked pepper to serve.
Honey baked persimmons
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 4 Fuyu (crisp) persimmons
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 cup hot water
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C. Cut persimmons in half. Place bases cut side up in a large ceramic or glass baking dish. Cut tops into quarters and remove stem. Add to dish.
- Scrape seeds from the vanilla pod, add to a small bowl with honey and stir seeds through. Add vanilla bean to baking dish. Dissolve honey mixture in hot water and pour over fruit.
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 45-60 minutes, until persimmons are soft. Preheat grill until hot. Remove foil, spoon syrup over the top of the fruit. Place dish under grill for 5-10 minutes or until fruit begins to caramelise on top.
- Serve hot or room temperature, with syrup and yoghurt or cream if desired.
Chewy persimmon & ginger cookies
Makes: 36
Ingredients
- 110g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp (heaped) chopped crystallised ginger
- 1 cup raisins or dried currants
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 ripe Hachiya (soft) persimmons, peeled and pureed
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C or 170C fan-forced.
- With an electric cake mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined. Add half the flour and mix. Then add persimmon puree and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add remaining flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Add raisins or currants, nuts and crystallised ginger, and mix until combined.
- Drop heaped tablespoons of the batter onto a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.
Tip: You can also use crisp Fuyu persimmons for this recipe once they ripen.
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