MY KITCHEN IN SPAIN: PERSIMMONS ARE TRENDING

Not tomatoes! These sliced persimmons with almond vinaigrette make a very festive salad.

I hadn’t given a thought to persimmons for years until a bag of them landed in my kitchen. Once they entered into my consciousness, the sweet and colorful fruit seemed to appear everywhere.

I discovered that Spain is a world leader, after China, Korea and Japan, in the production of persimmons. Say what? And that a postharvest process can turn even the mouth-puckering varieties into sweet, firm fruit, ready to eat as soon as purchased.

The persimmon tree, caqui or kaki in Spanish, has been grown in parts of Valencia and Andalusia since the 17th century, its wood once much appreciated for cabinetry. The prevalent variety in Spain, Rojo Brillante, emerged spontaneously in the 1950s. This variety belongs to the type of persimmon (Hachiya) that is astringent, The fruit contains so much tannin that it is impossible to eat until it is dead ripe, when the skin turns bright red and the flesh turns to gelatinous mush. Then it is like sweet pudding, perfect to eat with a spoon or incorporate in baked goods.

Confusingly, this is the same variety that is commercialized as Kaki Persimon®DOP, an orange-colored fruit with firm, almost crisp, flesh. These persimmons are picked before they are fully ripe—yellow-orange, not green—and subjected to a process (exposure to high levels of carbon dioxide) that converts the tannins and removes the astringency.

The Rojo Brillante, whichever its color, is ovoid or heart shaped.

The non-astringent varieties, such as Fuyu, have firm, sweet flesh with no tannins. They do not need to be ripened before eating. They tend to be orange to red in color, round and squat like a tomato in shape.

Squat, tomato shape--probably the Fuyu variety.

My cache of persimmons, from the farmers’ market, are unlabeled. They look a lot like tomatoes. They are fairly firm, not crisp, but juicy, easy to peel and slice. They taste sweet, but not cloying, without a hint of astringency. I think they are Fuyu. I used them in a festive salad.

Ready-to-eat Rojo Brillante.

At the supermarket I bought bright orange persimmons, labeled Rojo Brillante variety. In spite of the name--Rojo Brillante means "bright red," they are orange in color. These are ready-to-eat without further ripening (meaning they have been processed to remove astringency). They are sweet and not quite as crisp as an apple, more like the texture of good melon. Which inspired this variation on a classic starter, persimmon with melon (caqui con melón).

Instead of summer's ham with melon, this is sliced persimmon with shards of ibérico ham. A lovely appetizer.

Salad of persimmon with slices of fried cheese and almond vinaigrette.

Persimmon Salad with Almond Vinaigrette and Fried Cheese

Ensalada de Caqui con Vinagreta de Almendras y Queso Frito

Fuyu persimmon has red flesh.

Serves 4-6.

4 medium persimmons, ready to eat (14-16 ounces)

Salad greens such as arugula

¼ cup Almond Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Fried cheese (recipe follows)

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the persimmons. Slice them thinly crosswise. Remove any seeds or hard seed pods in the center. Add 2 tablespoons of the dressing to the sliced persimmons and allow them to macerate for at least 1 hour.

Arrange salad greens on a platter or on individual plates. Place the sliced persimmons on the greens and spoon over remaining almond vinaigrette. Arrange pieces of fried cheese on top.

Almond Vinaigrette

Vinagreta con Almendras

Vinaigrette with chopped almonds.

Almonds that have been fried in olive oil add an irresistible crunch to this salad dressing.

Makes ¾ cup dressing. (Only ¼ cup dressing is needed for the salad.)

¼ cup chopped scallions

¼ cup coarsely chopped fried almonds

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl combine the scallions, almonds, juice and vinegar. Whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Fried Cheese

Queso Frito

The fried cheese—crisp on the outside, melting on the inside—can be served as a tapa or with greens as part of a salad. It pairs nicely with persimmons, sliced pears or thin slices of quince paste. Use a semi-cured goat or sheep’s milk cheese, such as Manchego, or try a lightly smoked Idiazábal.

Cheese is floured and coated in crumbs.

6-8 ounces semi-cured Manchego cheese

2-3 tablespoons flour

1 egg, beaten

½ cup fine dry breadcrumbs

Olive oil for frying

Remove the rind from the cheese and cut into triangles 3/8 inch thick. Dredge the slices in flour, dip in beaten egg, then coat with bread crumbs.

Heat oil to cover the bottom of a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the slices of cheese in two batches, if necessary. Turn when they are browned on the bottom. They need only about 30 seconds per side.

Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Persimmons complement the fried cheese.

Another version of the persimmon salad. This one has slices of both Fuyu persimmon (red) and Rojo Brillante (pale yellow) plus kiwi and clementines. Strips of ibérico ham make a delicious contrast to the fruits.