Tart recipe celebrates Fuyu persimmons

After three weeks of travel, I am back in California fully rejuvenated and ready for the holiday season. Early Monday morning, I visited a nearby orchard to check on the available fruit. I harvested some Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons.

It is quite a sight to see them at this time of the year still hanging from the branches while all the other trees are bare and hibernating. Hachiya persimmons need to ripen before they can be used. They are acorn-shaped and extremely tannic with a strong astringency, though once ripe, their sweet taste is incredibly complex and aromatic.

Fuyu persimmons can be enjoyed like apples by peeling and slicing them. When ripe, their taste is more like honey.

This week's recipe is a version of my Apple Tarte Tatin with a twist by using persimmons instead. They are carefully caramelized in sugar, honey, vanilla extract, lemon juice, brandy and butter until they get the flavor and texture of caramel.

I used Fuyu persimmons in this recipe and baked the tartes in individual ceramic ramekins.

At Café Collage, this dessert will be served for the next few weeks accompanied by our Homemade Pomegranate-Vanilla Ice Cream.

FUYU PERSIMMON TARTE TATIN

8 ounces unsalted butter

1⁄2 cup organic brown sugar

1⁄4 cup local honey

8 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and thinly sliced

Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice

2 tablespoons brandy

For crust:

3 cups flour

1⁄2 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

3 egg yolks

10 ounces chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preparation

Prepare crust: In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, salt and egg yolks. Pulse until well mixed. Gradually add the butter while pulsing.

Remove the dough from the container and knead it lightly to finish mixing. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Keep any leftover dough in the refrigerator for the next batch.

Prepare persimmons: Melt butter in a 12-inch pan. Add the sugar and honey and cook for five minutes. Spread the mixture evenly around the pan.

In a mixing bowl, toss the persimmon slices with the cinnamon and nutmeg. Place the persimmons over the sugar-honey mixture, fitting them tightly. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice and brandy.

Set the pan over a medium flame and cook the persimmons until the sugar mixture bubbles and turns golden brown. Adjust the flame to evenly brown all the sides of the persimmons.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Select four to six deep ramekins and butter them. Fill them with the caramelized persimmons (one or two slices each, according to the size of your ramekins) and the juices from the pan.

Form the dough into flat disks and cover each of the ramekins tightly with dough. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Let the ramekins cool for 15 minutes. With a knife, loosen the edges of the desserts before inverting the tartes onto serving plates.

Serve with Homemade Pomegranate-Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe follows) or whipped cream.

HOMEMADE POMEGRANATE-VANILLA ICE CREAM

1 cup half and half

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1⁄4 cup pomegranate molasses

Pinch of salt

1⁄4 cup raw organic sugar

1⁄4 cup local honey

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients together and whisk until well blended.

I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker. Pour the mixture into the pre-frozen ice cream maker bowl and mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the ice cream from the bowl and serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight plastic container freeze. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes prior to serving.

Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House, Calif. Contact him at 530-692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His website is cafecollage.net.