P is for persimmon


I've had persimmons before. I think I knew them as sharon fruit at the time, but the name 'persimmon' carries a whiff of the exotic with it, of bazaars and spices and far distant lands, whereas 'sharon fruit' carries a whiff of... well, not so much. So let's keep it persimmons, if you're good with that?

I think my last encounter with the persimmon I just ate the fruit as it was, unadorned. It can't have been an overly exciting introduction, because I don't remember there being a second encounter any time afterwards.

Handily, then, I saw a recipe for persimmon with walnut dressing in one of my favourite cookbooks, The Asian Vegan Kitchen.



The recipe involves peeling the fruit, and smothering it in a nutty dressing.

I was quite surprised by how delicious it was - the walnuts were dark and rich, and there was a nice, boozy kick of sake too.

The recipe was listed as a shojin ryori dish - the temple cuisine of Japanese Buddhist monks - and presumably a main dish at that.

It didn't feel that way to me, more like a sweet, fruity dessert - and just as lovely for that.

Was it enough to convince me to eat more persimmons? No - but it definitely did convince me that covering most things in walnut and sake sauce will make it taste wonderful, though.

Comments

  1. I've never eaten persimmons before but that walnut and sake sauce sounds really interesting.

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  2. I love these. They are great in a smoothie when they are really ripe and sweet.

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  3. Nice find! I'd love to try this out soon, sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing by the way. :)


    http://VegCourtesy.blogspot.com

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  4. I love that you're trying all of these ingredients that you wouldn't normally eat/cook with. I have probably tried persimmons at one time or another but I wouldn't ever think to buy them. This dish does look lovely, I bet the walnuts were a nice addition

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  5. Sharon fruit? Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha! :) And everything is better with sake! I haven't really had awesome persimmon experiences but they always tempt me in the grocery store, lookin' all delectable at this time of year.

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