Persimmons are in season every year from October to February. Which is a good thing because I love making this scrumptious Persimmon Pastry and eating it for breakfast or dessert.
The perfect combination of sugar and spice, add vanilla bean ice cream to make it even better!
A Persimmon Pastry is an easy dessert or breakfast recipe! All you need is a bright orange persimmon, brown sugar, and buttery puff pastry!
Persimmon recipes are hard to find. Heck, persimmons can be hard to find! But when you do, you’ll know. Just look for something in the produce section that you aren’t too sure about.
What are Persimmons?
If you aren’t even sure what is a persimmon? Well they’re native to Japan or China but now grow all over the world. They are positively beautiful. A bright and vibrant orange orb with squatty little stems. You’ve probably seen one and mistaken it for a tomato.
Persimmon Pastry was a spur of the moment recipe. I was perusing the produce section when these gorgeous persimmons caught my eye. A ripe persimmon will be a deep orange color, slightly firm, but starting to get mushy. If you’re wondering what does a persimmon taste like? The flavor is mildly sweet.
Asian Persimmons vs American Persimmons
I substitute persimmons in many recipes that call for apples. They are about the same size and texture and it adds a level of uniqueness to any meal.
It is amazing how many people have never tasted or experimented with this luscious fruit! Persimmons are most commonly made into jam or marmalade, tossed into salads or eaten raw.
This Persimmon Pastry recipe was based on an apple tart I had seen that was almost too pretty to eat. I made up my own version and here it is. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
More Pastry Recipes
Persimmon Pastry
Ingredients
Persimmon Pastry:
- 2 ripe persimmons
- 1 sheet puff pastry , defrosted
- 2 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons turbinado sugar , divided
Maple Icing:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla extract and apple pie spice. Set aside.
- Cut off the tops (stems) of persimmons and thinly slice vertically. Slices should be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Colorful skins can stay on.
- Roll out puff pastry directly onto parchment paper and gently pull ends to make a rustic circle or square. Fold up edges to form a rim. This doesn't need to be perfect. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the center of the pastry.
- Arrange the persimmon slices over the cream cheese mixture.
- Baste the pastry edges and top of the persimmons lightly with cream. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the turbinado sugar over the pastry and persimmon slices.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges of pastry are lightly browned. It might be a little puffy, this is fine.
- Remove and allow to cool before making and drizzling with icing.
Maple Icing:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup and heavy cream until smooth. Drizzle over the pastry. Top with the remaining 1/2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar while still tacky.
- Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
- If you tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
I made this recipe over the weekend and it was delicious! I did find that 1/3 c of sugar was too much for the size of the tart, and I did sprinkle it on before placing it in the oven, even though the direction was missing. The bigger issue for me was that I have very little experience w/ persimmons. I didn’t know that I needed to let Hachiya Persimmons ripen fully (I thought they were ripe already) to avoid the extremely unpleasant bitterness. The cook time in the oven did help some with the flavor, but worth noting that I ended up leaving the tart in for 25-30 mins to get to the desired brownness. Every oven is different and it’s likely ours isn’t calibrated just right, but wanted to mention anyway. Despite the few growing pains, the tart was quick and easy to pull together, and I’d still consider it a success! Will be trying it again with more persimmons, as well as with other varieties of fruits. Thanks!
Persimmons (and some ovens) are tricky little suckers! I’ll add a section on persimmon ripeness to helps others. Thank you for your feedback!
i love persimmons and can’t wait to try this RECIPE! One thing was a bit bothersome though, but not with the recpie. the share buttons (PINTREST, FACEBOOK, TWEET, ETC.) on the left of the page cover up part of the recpie, and cause you to scroll up and down to get it out of the way.
Hi Chase, I’m sorry about that and thanks for the feedback! Are you experiencing this on your mobile device? We are actually launching a brand new site in about 2 weeks and trying to get as many of these issues taken care of as we can!
I was a little hesitant before trying this recipe until I tried it. Now I am hesitant to try any other type of tart! Amazing recipe and a staple for any at home chef!
Thanks for stopping by to let us know, Brandon! I am sure others are hesitant of trying persimmons too, but they will quickly find they are a fun and festive fruit to bake with.