Category: Recipe

Ingredients

Rice paper roll

• 60gm dried rice vermicelli
• 8 16cm round rice paper wrappers
• 8 medium butter lettuce leaves, washed
• 8 large cooked king prawns, peeled, de-veined and sliced in half lengthways
• 24 fresh mint leaves
• 1 small firm persimmon, julienned
• 1 small Lebanese cucumber, julienned
• 24 fresh coriander leaves

Dipping sauce

• 1 tablespoon Japanese rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons hoi sin sauce
• 1 tablespoon unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Prepare rice vermicelli as per packet instructions, drain well.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients for dipping.
3. Place 1 rice sheet in warm water until just softened, remove from water place on clean, damp tea towel.
4. Lay a lettuce leaf over the wrapper, top with 2 pieces of prawn horizontally, 3 mint leaves, a little persimmon, cucumber, rice vermicelli and 3 coriander leaves.
5. Fold bottom of wrapper up over the filling, fold one side in, roll up tightly. Keep rolls under damp cloth while preparing remaining ingredients.
6. Serve with dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 astringent persimmons (overripe)
• 100g coconut milk
• Crushed macadamia nuts to serve (optional)

Method

1. Place persimmons in the freezer for more than 2 hours. Once frozen, remove from freezer and cut into wedges, discarding the calyx.
2. Place wedges into a food processor along with coconut milk. Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth, ice cream texture.
3. Scoop ice cream out of food processor and top with crushed macadamia nuts before serving.

Tip: This dessert is best made just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe sweet persimmon
• 1 round burrata cheese*
• 50g pistachio nuts
• Seeds from ¼ pomegranate
• ¼ cup of mint leaves
• Balsamic glaze to serve

*This salad is equally delicious and healthy with a bocconcini or feta cheese instead of burrata!

Method

1. Remove persimmon Calyx (stem), rinse well and then thinly slice the fruit from top to bottom (about 3mm thick). Gently lay persimmon rounds onto a serving platter along with the fresh mint leaves.
2. Tear apart the burrata cheese, adding it to the platter.
3. Finish with pistachio nuts and pomegranate seeds and serve with a balsamic reduction.

Tip: To make balsamic reduction, simply heat balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium low heat until it vinegar has reduced to at least half the original amount.

Ingredients

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• ½ ripe avocado
• 1 ripe sweet persimmon
• Salt and pepper (optional)

Method

1. Toast sourdough and spread on a layer of avocado.
2. Remove persimmon Calyx (stem), rinse and thinly slice lengthways then halve the rounds.
3. Layer persimmon on top of avocado.
4. Taste and enjoy!

DID YOU KNOW: When you slice persimmons lengthways, you will see a beautiful, naturally occurring star shape.

Ingredients

Salad

• 4 cups of baby spinach
• ¼ red cabbage
• 2 sweet persimmons
• 80g of Danish feta, crumbled
• Seeds from ½ pomegranate

Dressing

• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt

Method

1. Slice persimmon into thin wedges and thinly slice cabbage.
2. Add to a serving bowl along with spinach leaves.
3. Sprinkle with feta and top with pomegranate seeds.
4. Combine all the dressing ingredients, toss through and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup sago pearls (available in Asian grocers and at major supermarkets but make sure you look in the health foods or cereal section)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 very ripe sweet or original persimmons, peeled and pureed
• 2 firm, sweet persimmons, peeled and diced 5mm cubes

Method

1. Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and bring to the boil. Rain the sago in, stir immediately, then allow to boil until the pearls have the smallest dot of white at their centres.
2. Drain sago through a sieve and rinse with plenty of cool running water.
3. Transfer into a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. Bring coconut milk and sugar to the boil, making sure sugar is dissolved, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir the mixture through the sago with the lime juice and persimmon puree (if using).
5. Chill and serve with sprinkling of the diced sweet persimmon.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, poached
• 4 sweet persimmons, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 7mm batons
• 3/4 – 1 continental cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthways and sliced 3mm on a diagonal
• 4 Chinese cabbage leaves, shredded
• 2 red eschallots, thinly sliced, or 8-10 spring onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
• 2 sprigs of coriander
• 1 long red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
• 2 1/2 Tbs fish sauce
• 5 Tbs freshly squeezed lime juice
• 5 tsp caster sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbs roasted ground rice* (optional – from Asian grocer)
• 3 Tbs deep fried shallots (optional – from Asian grocer)
• 4 Tbs chopped, salted, roasted peanuts (optional)

Method

1. To poach chicken, cover the chicken with water in a small pot. Bring to boil and then reduce to a low simmer to cook for 45 minutes, covered. Cool completely in poaching liquid then transfer to a plate to shred finely with 2 forks (the remaining poaching liquid can be frozen to use as stock).
2. To make dressing, combine fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and garlic in a small recycled glass jar and shake vigorously until sugar is dissolved.
3. To assemble, combine persimmons, cucumber, cabbage, spring onions, mint, coriander and chilli (if using), chicken and dressing in a medium to large bowl and toss very gently with hands or chopsticks so as not to bruise ingredients.
4. Divide into 4 portions and garnish with roasted rice, fried shallots and peanuts and serve immediately.

Note: You may make your own roasted ground rice by purchasing glutinous rice from an Asian grocer and dry toasting 1/2 to 1 cup in a wok or frypan on low heat until a pale golden colour. You must exercise some patience while doing this as a high heat will burn the rice but not toast it all the way through. Do not use any other types of rice as they will be unpalatable and a jaw breaker even after toasting, while glutinous rice will shatter nicely between your teeth. Roasted rice is often added to Thai salads for its beautiful nutty flavour and textural crunch but also for helping very runny dressings adhere to salad ingredients. After toasting, cool, then pound in a mortar and pestle or grind in a spice grinder to a sandy consistency. Store in an airtight glass container for up to 2 months.

Ingredients

Cake

• Melted butter
• Flour
• 1 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup full cream milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 – 4 very ripe original or sweet persimmons – you need 1 1/2 cups of puree
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or natural vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
• 1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
• 2 tsp bi-carb of soda, sifted
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Generous pinch of ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt

Icing

• 125g cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 50g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or natural vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecan nuts*

Special Equipment
26cm fluted ring tin

*To toast pecan nuts, simply chop roughly and then dry toast in a frypan on a medium heat until nice and golden. You may also roast in a pre-heated oven at 160ºC for 5 to 10 mins. Cool before using.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC or 150ºC fan forced.
2. For persimmon puree, remove calyx and scoop pulp out with a spoon. Discard skin and seeds, then blitz pulp with a stick blender or blender to make 1½ cups of puree. Set aside at room temperature.
3. For the cake, with a pastry brush, thoroughly grease ring tin with melted butter. Spoon a couple of tablespoons full of plain flour into tin, turning and shaking it until the inside is completely coated. Bang tin firmly on bench top to loosen excess flour, then discard. With a whisk, roughly mix all the wet ingredients and sugar in a medium to large bowl. Fold dry ingredients into the wet mixture in 3 to 4 batches until you have a relatively smooth batter. Pour into the ring tin and bake for 50 mins to 1 hour, or until skewer comes out clean. Allow cake to sit for a few seconds before turning out onto a cooling rack.
4. To prepare icing, combine all ingredients and cream with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
5. When cake has cooled completely, slather roughly with cream cheese icing and sprinkle nuts over the top.

Ingredients

• 2 sweet persimmons, calyx removed, peeled, sliced into wedges
• 1 small/medium avocado, mashed, passed through a sieve for smoothness
• 1/4 cup of Japanese mayonnaise (available in Asian section of the supermarket)
• 1/2 – 1 tsp wasabi paste
• 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
• Salt to taste
• Scant 1/4 cup of Japanese pickled ginger (available in supermarket Asian section)
• 1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds, white or black (optional)
• 2 large sheets or 1 small packet Korean fried seaweed* (available in Asian grocer)

*Korean seaweed is readily available in most Asian grocers. It differs from the Japanese type used for making sushi in that it is fried and salted, but look similar. Usually it comes in large square sheets (20 x 20cm) or small rectangular ones (7 x 10cm). If you are having trouble sourcing it, regular sushi seaweed will still taste fabulous.

Method

1. Mix avocado, Japanese mayonnaise, wasabi, lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper until combined. Transfer to a piping bag (if you want a tidier result but spooning is fine).
2. Arrange persimmon wedges neatly onto serving platter.
3. Pipe or spoon a nice dollop of the avocado mixture on each wedge, top with small rosettes of ginger, a light sprinkle of sesame seeds (if using), and then finish with torn shards of the fried seaweed.
4. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 4 sweet persimmons, each with calyx removed, peeled, sliced into 8 wedges
• 24 thin – medium slices of Italian or Spanish prosciutto
• Juice of 1 lime
• Cracked pepper

Method

1. Wrap each wedge of persimmon with a slice of prosciutto.
2. Squeeze desired amount of lime juice over the top and then a sprinkle of cracked pepper.
3. Serve immediately.