Today I ate a persimmon and I did not wince from astringent induced furry mouth.
In my past persimmon attempts I purchased the alluring fruit at my nieghborhood grocery store, immediately cut and plopped what looked like a tasty morsel into my mouth – and screamed. The fruit of the gods bit me. Especially the first time where I was left scraping my tongue of the lacquered on fur that grew instantaneously from one small bite.
Alas, a co-worker a year later had a persimmon in her lunch and shared it with me – she assured me that my past experience was the result of eating unripe persimmon and that eating the fruit was not some acquired taste for mouth fuzz or a form of culinary torture resembling licking 9 volt batteries. Her persimmon was a if cinnamon and an apple had a child. Sweet but with the essence of ornate wood.
So today I cut into the persimmon I purchased from the local vegetable stand. First I spent three days eyeing it and reading the entire wikipedia entry on persimmons to ensure that it truly was ripe and ready to eat. Thank you internet for printing all true and meaningful things. At least in respect to my relationship with this lovely fruit.
What else can you do with a persimmon besides eat them alone? Pudding or salad.
Pear & Persimmon Salad with Mustard Lemon Dressing
1 pear sliced
1 persimmon sliced
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 bag spinach – roughly 5- 6 cups
Dressing
2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice