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.