Persimmon Dilemma

What do you do with a persimmon?

My husband brought one home after an office potluck lunch. My first thought was, “What an odd choice for a potluck lunch! How was anyone supposed to eat it?” My next dilemma was what to do with it. Neither of us had a clue.

While it sat on our kitchen counter, I researched persimmons in our some of our kitchen reference books, finding few answers. In all my life, my only contact with persimmons was in cookies made by someone in California, who had a tree in her yard. I don’t believe I ever saw one until this one arrived in my house last week. Now, I need to tell you, this is a house where fruits and vegetables are consumed in quantity on a daily basis, so it’s not as if we are fruit phobic.

Determined not to waste the tempting but puzzling fruit, I cut it open the same way I would an apple, peeling away the rather tough skin, and sliced off a small piece to try. It was sweet and pleasant, but not something I might eat whole. My solution: chop it up and add it to the day’s smoothie concoction, a healthful treat I make in the blender using whatever fresh fruit, yogurt and juice happen to be on hand.

Here’s my recipe for a persimmon smoothie:

In the blender, puree: 3-4 large strawberries; about a quarter cup of blueberries; a chopped, peeled ripe persimmon; a handful of red and green seedless grapes. Then add half a small container of key lime yogurt (I use Stonyfield because it’s not overly sweet) and fill the blender jar to about half full or so with orange juice. Blend it on low a bit and then crank it up to high to get a nice frothy smoothie. Enjoy.