~Sunday, November 10, 2013
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| Fuyu persimmons as a fall display |
A sweet and delicious fruit, the
persimmon is predominantly used in bread and cake recipes this time of
year. The more common variety used in
baking is the Hachiya persimmon. When fully
ripe, the Hachiya turns a brilliant orange-red in color, and is very soft on
the inside—and by soft—I mean runny,
gel-like, egg white soft! This doesn’t exactly paint an appealing picture of a fruit
you want to toss in a salad; however, this is where the Fuyu persimmon comes
into play: Just as sweet and delicious as the Hachiya; makes the perfect centerpiece
on the dinner table in the fall; and a fruit you can bite into—rather than having to scoop with a spoon, or slurp with a
straw! (Can you tell which one is my favorite?) Fortuitously, my mother grows
the Fuyu variety in her garden—and as you may have already guessed—she created
a wonderful way to eat them in the recipe to follow! The melody of flavors that dance in your
mouth in this persimmon salad will have your dinner guests begging for encores!
(Moreover, don’t be surprised if they break into song, Andrea Bocelli-style….funiculi, funicula, funiculi, funiculaaaAAAAHHH!!!!!)
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
1 gala apple, hulled and
quartered into wedges
1 fuyu persimmon, hulled and
quartered into wedges
4 cups (lightly packed)
arugula, rinsed and dried
3 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste
Thinly slice the apple and the
persimmon wedges into a large salad bowl.
Add the arugula, and drizzle with olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; toss gently to
combine ingredients. Serve on individual
salad plates evenly distributing the fruit slices.
