Los Angeles, Ca, -At first glance persimmons are beautiful and interesting, then the frustration of uncertainty sets in. Though prevalent in California they are hard to come by in many regions of the United States. Persimmons are a tropical fruit and are in season during the fall and winter months.
Similar to the beet, you either love persimmons or hate them. In my professional opinion, persimmons are so intimidating that people just assume they hate them because they don’t know what to do with them.
Knowing that persimmons are a delicious but an overlooked fruit. That’s why I decided to share them on the Appetites App where I was featured as one of their chefs.
If you’ve never bought or eaten persimmons before here are some helpful hints when you go into the grocery store.
There are two varieties: Fuyu and Hachiya.
- The Fuyu is a squatty orange hard (when unripe) fruit that looks similar to a tomato. It is best eaten raw with the peel removed by a sturdy peeler and served in salads, tarts and even as chutney.
- The Hachiya is shaped like an acorn and can be much darker orange color than the Fuyu. The Hachiya has a sweet and pulpy texture that can be scooped out with a spoon when it’s ripe. Similar to the Fuyu the peel should not be eaten. You can use the Hachiya persimmon in breads, pies and eat plain.
When they are dark and bright orange in color they are ready to eat, so if you want to eat it immediately buy one that is rich in color and if you are grocery shopping in advance buy one that isn’t quite as vibrant.
Avoid bumps, bruises and discolorations when buying a persimmon.
Know how you want to use the persimmon before you go into the grocery store.
Looking for more: My class on the Appetites App shows the viewer a step-by-step instructional video on how to prepare my delicious pomegranate, persimmon and bur rata salad with focus on prepping the persimmon.
You can download my cooking class at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/appetites/id405170698?mt=8 which links to the iTunes store and my class my cooking class on the salad plus many more can be found there. You can download the class with iPad, iTouch and the iPhone. I lead you in a step-by-step process so your results are the same as mine.
