Perfectly sweet persimmons

Indulge in this forgotten fruit of fall

Paleo Persimmon Pie

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon olive oil

• 3 cups pecans

• 20 pitted dates

• ¼ cup agave nectar

• 6 ripe persimmons

• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for garnish

Directions

1. Lightly grease an 8-inch pie pan with olive oil. 2. Blend 3 cups pecans and dates in a food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Pour agave nectar over nut mixture and process until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Press nut mixture evenly into prepared pie pan. 3. Peel and pit persimmons, then puree in food processor until smooth. Pour over crust and smooth out. Garnish with chopped pecans and cinnamon.

Cook’s Note:

This can be made in a ramekin. Just press the crust into the ramekin and top with the persimmon mixture. If you’d prefer a warm pie, just bake it in a 350 degree F (175 degree C) oven for 15 minutes.

Persimmon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 3 Hachiya persimmons, pulp extracted

• 1 egg

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 ½ cups chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Beat butter, sugar, and persimmon pulp together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl; add gradually to persimmon mixture until dough is thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of dough 1 inch apart onto lined baking sheet. 3. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are golden, 10 to 13 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cook’s Notes:

This dough is sticky, so when forming cookies into desired shape, use water to smooth out cookie surface.

Tips

These cookies will not spread and only grow a little in the oven, so the shape and size you spoon onto the cooking sheet will be the same shape when cooked.

Roasted Persimmon-Burrata Focaccia

Ingredients

• 1 precooked 9-inch focaccia flatbread

• 1 Fuyu persimmon, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped

• ½ cup burrata cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Lay persimmon slices onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and sprinkle salt on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the rosemary leaves over the persimmon slices. 3. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn persimmon slices over and roast 10 minutes more. 4. Remove baking sheet from the oven and increase temperature to 400 degrees F, 200 degrees C. Place focaccia on a baking sheet. 5. Bake focaccia in the hot oven until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top focaccia with roasted persimmon slices. Tear burrata cheese using your hands and lay evenly on the focaccia, avoiding the persimmon slices. Reserve about 1 tablespoon rosemary leaves and sprinkle the rest on top. 6. Return focaccia to the hot oven and bake until warmed and burrata cheese has melted slightly, about 5 minutes. Top with reserved fresh rosemary leaves and drizzle remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil on top. Slice and serve hot.

Notes:

Fuyu persimmons are the flatter, firm variety with the texture of an apple. Hachiya persimmons are longer and acorn-shaped, and should not be eaten until the flesh is soft and very ripe. Oftentimes baking recipes will call for persimmon puree. This simply refers to ripe persimmon flesh that has been pureed in a food processor or blender. Keep some persimmon puree on hand for all your fall baking projects by transferring it to an airtight container and freezing for up to six months. You can also freeze cubed or slice persimmon flesh by first flash freezing it on a baking sheet, and then transferring it to an airtight container.