Persimmon Flan Recipes

PERSIMMON TART

Steps:

• Pastry: Pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces remaining. Add egg yolks; pulse until no dry flour remains but dough is still crumbly (do not overmix, or pastry will be tough). Shape dough into a flat disk; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 12-inch round (a scant 1/4 inch thick). Transfer to an 11-by-1-inch fluted tart pan; trim flush with edges. Prick dough all over with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake until crust is dry and golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Filling: Meanwhile, thoroughly clean and dry persimmons; remove tops and cores. Coarsely chop and press through a medium-mesh sieve or chinois strainer, or process through a food mill, discarding any solids left behind. (You should have 1 3/4 cups.)
• In a small saucepan, combine cream, cinnamon, star anise, clove, cardamom, and peppercorns. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (discarding solids). Whisk in persimmon purée, brown sugar, whole eggs and yolks, ginger, nutmeg, and salt until smooth. Transfer filling to cooled crust.
• Bake until filling is puffed slightly and set along edges but still wobbly in the center (it will continue to set as it cools), 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours. Transfer to a cake plate or stand. Sprinkle top evenly with half of granulated sugar, and wave a kitchen torch over sugar until it's golden brown. Let cool until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining granulated sugar. Lightly dust edges of tart with confectioners' sugar; serve.

PERSIMMON FLANS WITH HONEYED WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon, coriander, and nutmeg. Using an electric mixer at moderate speed, being mixing, adding the eggs one by one. Then add the persimmon pulp until the mixture holds together. Add the evaporated milk, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until the batter is smooth. Set aside.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the remaining 3/4 cups of sugar with water and cook over medium heat until the mixture caramelizes, about 10 minutes. When the sugar has caramelized, immediately remove from the heat to stop cooking.
• Assemble four (6 to 8-ounce) ramekins or custard cups. Wearing an oven mitt on the hand that holds the saucepan, carefully pour a little caramel into the bottom of each ramekin. Then pour about 1/3 cup of persimmon batter on top of the caramel. Set the prepared ramekins in a deep-sided baking dish and pour enough water around them to reach halfway up the sides. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flans are set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Refrigerate each flan, covered with plastic wrap, to set.
• Just before serving, whip the cream in a medium bowl until it forms soft peaks. Blend in the honey, then whip again. Set aside.
• Remove the flans from the refrigerator and run a small paring knife around the rim of each. Hold a dessert plate over the top of each ramekin and invert so that the flan and caramel are positioned in the center of each plate. Place a dollop of honeyed whipped cream on each portion and serve.

PERSIMMON FLAN

Steps:

• A day ahead, make the persimmon puree.
• Put all ingredients for the puree in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 3 to 4 minutes if fruit is very ripe and soft, up to 10 minutes if less ripe.
• Pour into a glass bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Purée in a food processor and pass through a sieve to remove solids.
• The next day, make the custard.
• Place piloncillo and evaporated milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until piloncillo dissolves; set aside.
• Place sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in bowl of an electric mixer and blend while adding eggs, one at a time, then persimmon purée. Blend in piloncillo mixture and lemon juice.
• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• In a saucepan, heat sugar and water over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring, until mixture turns amber in color and reaches 325F to 355F degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Immediately pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of caramel in bottom of 8 four-ounce glass baking cups.
• Let cool briefly, then pour custard on top. Place cups in a water bath, cover with foil, and bake until a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
• Chill before unmolding.

PERSIMMON CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the persimmons, honey, lemon juice, jalapeño pepper and ginger and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract and almonds. Serve with duck dumplings.