Lately, I’ve found myself pushing against the boundaries of my comfort zone a lot. I don’t know if that’s just what happens when you turn 30 or if it’s a side effect of being hunkered down at home during a global pandemic. Either way, my baking has found its way outside of the box, and I’ve been very interested in the use of ingredients that aren’t as ‘popular’ when compared to other fruit counterparts - looking at you berries! Enter the humble, but delicious, persimmons.
When I saw Claire Saffitz had a persimmon spiced cake in her new book Dessert Person, I was eager to give a first attempt at baking with persimmons a whirl.
Varieties of Persimmons
I’ve only ever encountered two types of persimmon varieties in the grocery stores here in the Seattle area: Fuyu and Hachiya. However, there are tons of different types, including the non-astringent Jiro, Suruga and the astringent Hiratanenashi and Yokono. All grow on trees, and while the persimmon types we know today originated in Asia, they are grown all over the world - from Israel to Spain to California.
Fuyu Persimmons
I most often see the fuyu variety, looking like tomatoes with Halloween spirit. The little orange orbs always catch my eye, and it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I picked them up for a savory appetizer I made for a friend’s New Years Eve party. I sliced them, wrapped them in prosciutto, and skewered them with a sprig of rosemary. They were delicious and achieved the perfect balance of sweet and salty. I highly recommended this appetizer for your holidays - even for those in the household, it’s something nice to snack on during that hour or two before dinners when the delicious kitchen smells start to cloud our minds.
Fuyu persimmons are much more firm than their hachiya counterparts. Going back to Claire’s cookbook for a moment, in her Spiced Persimmon Bread recipe, she incorporates hachiya into the loaf, but tops them with fuyu slices. As the fuyu slices dry out they tend to ripple and wave on the edges & it looks very pretty sitting on top of a loaf. I didn’t have any ripe hachiyas at my disposal for Claire’s bread, so I ended up using fuyu throughout. I think the fuyus didn’t add as much moisture as the hachiyas would have, but the bread was still met with rave reviews our friends who received the loaf.
Hachiya Persimmons
Hachiya persimmons are another common variety. Some folks say they look like giant orange acorns, but I think they look like those bulbous, old school Christmas lights with the tapered, rounded tip. They’re best eaten or used when they’re very ripe - usually a darker orange and give slightly when you give them a soft squeeze. I’ve noticed that it takes quite a while for hachiyas to ripen. I’ve had a few from the grocery store that have been sitting for 2-3 weeks, and they’re only just now becoming ripe enough to work with. Hachiyas require patience, but many will agree that the patience is worth the payoff.
I admittedly haven’t thought about them for non-baked goods. Where fuyus are firm enough that they’d make great additions to salads, I don’t think I’d say the same for hachiyas. Hachiyas hold far more moisture than their counterparts - making them ideal for the inside of loaves or cakes… even something like a jam or filling!
Persimmon Recipes to Try
Other than the Spiced Persimmon Cake in Dessert Person, which I very much recommend, I have found some additional recipes around the web that use the mighty persimmon and make for a great winter time dessert.
This Spiced Persimmon Pudding (think British pudding, which is more cake-like) recipe from Salt & Wind looks perfect for a beautiful, robust Christmas Day dessert.
These Candied Persimmons from Nugget Markets look amazing! They’re relatively easy to make and only require an hour and a half to dry. I think the best part is that they last for 3-4 weeks when stored properly! Something sweet, but also fruity to munch on this winter.
And finally, how beautiful is this Persimmon Panna Cotta from Cooking Journey?! The vibrancy of that orange color juxtaposed with that silky white underneath? I love the elegance of this dessert, and while it’s definitely more effort, and gelatin is sometimes tricky to work with, the end results are worth it!