This 10 minute dessert is a great way to enjoy the fresh delicate flavour of persimmons on a smooth vanilla ricotta base.
Persimmon season has begun and we have created this light and refreshing pudding made with persimmon purée and vanilla flavoured ricotta.
It is such a wonderful way to enjoy this delicate autumnal fruit, after a meal or even for breakfast (I mean why not?).
Persimmons are a great fruit to see you through autumn and into winter as they have high immune boosting nutrients.
This orange coloured fruit is not only rich in beta-carotene, but contains more fibre (in its skin) and antioxidants than apples, and high levels of vitamin B6, potassium and manganese.
Ripe persimmons have a most delicious honey-like flavour, wonderful scent, and a jelly textured pulp. When they become very soft, the pulp can be scooped out and eaten with a spoon.
This persimmon dessert is very quick and easy to prepare and requires just a handful of ingredients.
Fresh persimmons are puréed for their delicate flavour and combined with a little orange zest. Persimmons are so sweet that you do not need to add any sugar to the purée.
The base is a smooth and simple sweet vanilla flavoured ricotta that is lightly whipped. If you don’t have ricotta, you could use mascarpone, but this will be more dense.
So go ahead, pick up some persimmons and whip up this quick and delicious dessert!
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Varieties of persimmons
Persimmons contain tannins which give a bitter flavour, however as they ripen they lose their astringency and become incredibly sweet.
The two types of persimmons, astringent and non-astringent, are categorized according to when they lose their bitter tannic quality, and on appearance. However when ripe, they have the same honey-like flavour and are equally sweet.
You can select either variety of persimmon for this recipe.
How to select persimmons
Astringent persimmons are commonly known as hachiya, and non-astringent as fuyu. Both have a yellowy orange skin with an orange and brown pulp.
Either variety will work for this dessert. Ripe hachiya is jelly like in texture and easy to scoop out. Fuyu can either be blended to a purée or wait till the fruit is very soft and easy to scoop out.
- hachiya – these are acorn shaped and should not be eaten till they are ripe or over-ripe as they will make your mouth pucker up.
- fuyu – this variety is smaller and shaped more like a tomato with a tender skin. They can be eaten before they are completely ripe while still firm, or soft and even over-ripe.
How to ripen them
Leave persimmons at room temperature to ripen.
If you need them to ripen quickly, place them near bananas, onions or potatoes and the ethylene gas produced will speed up the ripening process. As they ripen they will become softer and turn a deeper orange colour.
Other ways to eat them
Firmer persimmons are delicious chopped or sliced as a garnish for yogurt, ice-cream, porridge, and in salads.
They can also be dried or baked into cookies, cakes or puddings.
Persimmon FAQs
Store unripe persimmons at room temperature till they ripen, and then in the fridge.
Ripe persimmons should be eaten within 1-2 days.
Persimmons or their pulp can be frozen for up to a month, any longer and they tend to lose much of their delicate flavour.
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📋 Recipe
Healthy Persimmon Dessert
Ingredients
- 3 persimmons ripe
- 250 grams ricotta (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar (powdered/confectioner's sugar)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 4 honey roasted pecans crushed (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and dry the persimmons, then slice each one in half, scoop the pulp out into a bowl, and discard the skin. Blend the pulp till it is smooth, stir in the orange zest, then set aside.3 persimmons, 1 teaspoon orange zest
- In a separate medium sized bowl, whip together the ricotta, vanilla and sugar till smooth.250 grams ricotta, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- In a serving glass, add the ricotta cream to form a bottom layer, then cover with a layer of puréed persimmon. Do the same with the other 3 glasses. Chill for one hour before serving. Garnish with crushed roasted pecans before serving.4 honey roasted pecans
Notes
- You can select either the hachiya or fuyu variety of persimmon for this recipe. Either variety will work for this dessert. Ripe hachiya is jelly-like in texture and easy to scoop out. Fuyu can either be blended to a purée or wait till the fruit is very soft and easy to scoop out.
- Select ripe persimmons, if they are soft remove the stem and scoop out the pulp. If they are firm, slice in half and scoop out the pulp.
- If you don’t have ricotta, you could use mascarpone but this will be more dense.
- Chill for at least one hour before serving.
- Garnish before serving. Do not garnish before chilling as the nuts will become soft in the fridge.
- Best eaten on the same day,
- Cover and store leftovers in the fridge and consume with 2 days.
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