I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

I was excited to see an article about them in Saveur magazine until I
read it. "Massaging the Persimmon"
It's about making hoshi gaki.
It's a Japanese massaged dried persimmon. (now quoting from the
article) It turns out that Japanese villagers have hung persimmons to
dry in the autumn air, massaging them to keep them soft.
First, the fruit is peeled, trimmed, and hung from a string over a
bamboo pole. The the persimmons are given a light fingertip massage
every other day for up to five weeks until they develop a tender
consistency. As the fruit is massaged, fructose rises to the surface
in a frostlike bloom that looks like powdered sugar, the process
yields a chewy fruit with a deep, concentrated persimmon flavor that's
slightly sweeter than a dried fig.
I looked it up, they sell for $28.00 a pound.

Thanks for any ideas

Koko
A Yuman being on the net
(posting from San Diego)

Koko wrote:
I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

I was excited to see an article about them in Saveur magazine until I
read it. "Massaging the Persimmon"
It's about making hoshi gaki.
It's a Japanese massaged dried persimmon. (now quoting from the
article) It turns out that Japanese villagers have hung persimmons to
dry in the autumn air, massaging them to keep them soft.
First, the fruit is peeled, trimmed, and hung from a string over a
bamboo pole. The the persimmons are given a light fingertip massage
every other day for up to five weeks until they develop a tender
consistency. As the fruit is massaged, fructose rises to the surface
in a frostlike bloom that looks like powdered sugar, the process
yields a chewy fruit with a deep, concentrated persimmon flavor that's
slightly sweeter than a dried fig.
I looked it up, they sell for $28.00 a pound.

Thanks for any ideas

http://www.sdfarmbureau.org/fuyu/dried_fruit.html

Hmm,I never massaged a persimmon.

Sheldon

Koko wrote:

I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

Yes, you did it right...at least I *assume* you did it right, because when I
clicked on the link I was taken to a picture of two persimmons.

The persimmons you have are called Fuyu persimmons. They're sweet and a
little crunchy. They're good for eating out of hand (though you might find
them too sweet, in which case you can offset the sweetness with a squeeze of
lime juice). I've used them in a tossed salad before. You can use them in
stir-fries: If you've got a chow mein recipe which calls for tomatoes, try
substituting persimmons. You can make salsa or chutney out of them,
especially to accompany fish or ham.

In dessert applications, you can treat them a lot like apples or pears: You
can make crisps out of them, you can make a pie filling, you can make a
dessert sauce, and so forth.

Bob

Koko wrote:
I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

Koko,

You can look up recipes on the 'net for persimmon bread and cookies.
They're very good and moist.

Here are two easy things to do:

When they are still firm, you trim off the peel, but leave on the stem
and "leaves" around the stem. Use string to hang them up in a dry
place with circulating air. Hang them so they don't touch anything,
and check them every once in a while. You could call Sheldon to
massage them, but it's not necessary. Just let them hang there until
they're dried. But if you only have two, I wouldn't worry about drying
them.

Here's the really easy one: Let them get ripe, that's complete mush
inside. That's not like a peach or avocado ripe, it's like the inside
was run over by a truck. When they're mush inside, you put them in the
freezer. Once hard, (down Sheldon) you put them in a bowl and cut into
quarters about 2/3 of the way down. Let it sit for a little while
until it defrosts just a bit. (Not too long.) Pry the four parts
apart, so it's sort of like a partly open flower. And eat with a spoon
and top however you want. It's wonderful natural sorbet. You can top
it with whipped cream, chopped nuts, maple syrup, vanilla ice cream,
etc.

If you don't let them get completely mushy, they'll have alum in them
and won't be good to eat.

Hope this helps a little,

Ken

Oh pshaw, on Fri 08 Dec 2006 07:36:23p, Bob Terwilliger meant to say...

Koko wrote:

I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

Yes, you did it right...at least I *assume* you did it right, because
when I clicked on the link I was taken to a picture of two persimmons.

The persimmons you have are called Fuyu persimmons. They're sweet and a
little crunchy. They're good for eating out of hand (though you might
find them too sweet, in which case you can offset the sweetness with a
squeeze of lime juice). I've used them in a tossed salad before. You can
use them in stir-fries: If you've got a chow mein recipe which calls for
tomatoes, try substituting persimmons. You can make salsa or chutney out
of them, especially to accompany fish or ham.

In dessert applications, you can treat them a lot like apples or pears:
You can make crisps out of them, you can make a pie filling, you can
make a dessert sauce, and so forth.

Persimmon Ice Cream is also very nice.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

(...a short musical interlude...)

On 8 Dec 2006 17:53:57 -0800, "Sheldon" wrote:


Koko wrote:
I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

I was excited to see an article about them in Saveur magazine until I
read it. "Massaging the Persimmon"
It's about making hoshi gaki.
It's a Japanese massaged dried persimmon. (now quoting from the
article) It turns out that Japanese villagers have hung persimmons to
dry in the autumn air, massaging them to keep them soft.
First, the fruit is peeled, trimmed, and hung from a string over a
bamboo pole. The the persimmons are given a light fingertip massage
every other day for up to five weeks until they develop a tender
consistency. As the fruit is massaged, fructose rises to the surface
in a frostlike bloom that looks like powdered sugar, the process
yields a chewy fruit with a deep, concentrated persimmon flavor that's
slightly sweeter than a dried fig.
I looked it up, they sell for $28.00 a pound.

Thanks for any ideas

http://www.sdfarmbureau.org/fuyu/dried_fruit.html

Hmm,I never massaged a persimmon.

Sheldon

Here is the website the article mentioned
www.penrynorchardspecialties.com

Haven't checked it out yet.

Koko

A Yuman being on the net
(posting from San Diego)

On 8 Dec 2006 19:11:46 -0800, "Ken"
wrote:


Koko wrote:
I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

Koko,

You can look up recipes on the 'net for persimmon bread and cookies.
They're very good and moist.

Here are two easy things to do:

Good information snipped.

Hope this helps a little,

Ken

Yes it does. Thank you very much.
I appreciate it.

Koko
A Yuman being on the net
(posting from San Diego)

Ken wrote:

Here's the really easy one: Let them get ripe, that's complete mush
inside. That's not like a peach or avocado ripe, it's like the inside
was run over by a truck. When they're mush inside, you put them in the
freezer. Once hard, (down Sheldon) you put them in a bowl and cut into
quarters about 2/3 of the way down. Let it sit for a little while
until it defrosts just a bit. (Not too long.) Pry the four parts
apart, so it's sort of like a partly open flower. And eat with a spoon
and top however you want. It's wonderful natural sorbet. You can top
it with whipped cream, chopped nuts, maple syrup, vanilla ice cream,
etc.

If you don't let them get completely mushy, they'll have alum in them
and won't be good to eat.


That advice only applies to Hachiya persimmons. Koko has Fuyu persimmons.
There's a BIG difference -- look it up.

Bob

"Koko" wrote in message
...

I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

I've never cooked with persimmons, but they make a stunning first course
simply peeled and quartered, and draped with prosciutto. A good grinding of
black pepper is nice along with it.
-j

On 8 Dec 2006 20:36:23 -0600, "Bob Terwilliger"
wrote:

Koko wrote:

I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

Yes, you did it right...at least I *assume* you did it right, because when I
clicked on the link I was taken to a picture of two persimmons.

The persimmons you have are called Fuyu persimmons. They're sweet and a
little crunchy. They're good for eating out of hand (though you might find
them too sweet, in which case you can offset the sweetness with a squeeze of
lime juice). I've used them in a tossed salad before. You can use them in
stir-fries: If you've got a chow mein recipe which calls for tomatoes, try
substituting persimmons. You can make salsa or chutney out of them,
especially to accompany fish or ham.

In dessert applications, you can treat them a lot like apples or pears: You
can make crisps out of them, you can make a pie filling, you can make a
dessert sauce, and so forth.

Bob


Thank you so much for the great information.

Is there a color change I should look for or texture?
I think I'll try one in a salad and the other I'll make a salsa out
of. Wohoo!!! can't wait to use them now.

Koko



A Yuman being on the net
(posting from San Diego)

If you don't let them get completely mushy, they'll have alum in them
and won't be good to eat.


That advice only applies to Hachiya persimmons. Koko has Fuyu persimmons.
There's a BIG difference -- look it up.

Bob

Bob,

I agree, there is a BIG difference. I'll let you or Koko go to this
site and see what type she has: http://www.itopack.com/persimmons.htm

Ken

Koko wrote:
I am the grateful recipient of a couple of persimmons. I don't believe
I have ever had one. What do you do with them? Can they be added to
cooked dishes? or just eaten when ripe. How can you tell they are
ripe.

Koko,

In case you're wondering about the two types of persimmons, the Hachiya
and Fuyu persimmons, and why it came up, there's a lot o' difference.


The Fuyu is often eaten out of hand, like a peach or apple. They're
drier than a peach, and much softer than an apple. Something like an
Asian pear in texture, but not as grainy. I love them on my morning
oatmeal. These are usually eaten when still hard, but are still good
if they get soft.

The Hachiya are the large ones often used for baking, and this is the
variety you'll see most often in the stores. Where I live, you have to
know where to find the Fuyus, but the Hachiyas are common. It's the
Hachiyas that have the alum and should be left to get soft if you're
going to eat them raw.

I previously posted a site that shows both side by side. I say you
have the Hachiya. The Fuyu are like a stepped on mini pumpkin. The
Hachiya are like an overgrown acorn.

Persimmon cookies/cakes/bars are a tradition around the holidays and
are delicious.

Hope this helps a little more.

Ken

On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 17:08:19 -0800, Koko
wrote:

http://i17.tinypic.com/3zbsro2.jpg
o.k. I know it looks like a cheap trick to try tinypic for the first
time ;-) hope I did it right.

Something's going on with tinypic.... I can't get to that picture
(time out).

--
See return address to reply by email

Ken replied:

I agree, there is a BIG difference. I'll let you or Koko go to this
site and see what type she has: http://www.itopack.com/persimmons.htm

True enough, and better safe than sorry. Koko's picture showed persimmons
that looked more round than pointed at the bottom, but that might have been
the perspective. It's easy enough to determine, though, just taste a tiny
bit. If your mouth puckers immediately, they're Hachiyas.

If they DO turn out to be Hachiyas, then Ken's earlier advice was correct,
they need to soften to mush. At that point, they can be made into cookies,
sorbets, and other desserts. I'm not aware of any savory uses for Hachiya
persimmons, although now that I think about it, I bet a persimmon ketchup
would be pretty darn good, and a breeze to make. Googling... I don't see any
recipes, but a restaurant within striking distance of me serves a persimmon
ketchup with their bison burger. Maybe I'll try it sometime. Similarly, it
wouldn't be too difficult to come up with a persimmon sauce for poultry or
pork; I've got a recipe for Moroccan carrot sauce which would work well if
persimmons were substituted for the carrots.

Bob

"Bob Terwilliger" schreef in bericht
...
Ken replied:

I agree, there is a BIG difference. I'll let you or Koko go to this
site and see what type she has: http://www.itopack.com/persimmons.htm

True enough, and better safe than sorry. Koko's picture showed persimmons
that looked more round than pointed at the bottom, but that might have
been
the perspective. It's easy enough to determine, though, just taste a tiny
bit. If your mouth puckers immediately, they're Hachiyas.

If they DO turn out to be Hachiyas, then Ken's earlier advice was correct,
they need to soften to mush. At that point, they can be made into cookies,
sorbets, and other desserts. I'm not aware of any savory uses for Hachiya
persimmons, although now that I think about it, I bet a persimmon ketchup
would be pretty darn good, and a breeze to make.

Or using them in a beef stew, maybe? Or used in a sour-and-sweet chutney?
Not quite savory, but usable as a condiment with savory foods.

Googling... I don't see any
recipes, but a restaurant within striking distance of me serves a
persimmon
ketchup with their bison burger. Maybe I'll try it sometime. Similarly, it
wouldn't be too difficult to come up with a persimmon sauce for poultry or
pork; I've got a recipe for Moroccan carrot sauce which would work well if
persimmons were substituted for the carrots.

Bob