Honey Baked Persimmons

Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 Fuyu (Crisp) Persimmons
1 Vanilla Bean
2 Tbs Of Honey
1 Cup Of Hot Water

Method
Preheat oven to 180ºc. Cut persimmons in half. Place bases cut side up in a large ceramic or glass baking dish. Cut tops into quarters and remove stem. Add to dish.
Scrape seeds from the vanilla pod, add to a small bowl with honey and stir seeds through. Add vanilla bean to baking dish. Dissolve honey mixture in hot water and pour over fruit.
Cover dish with foil, bake for 45-60 minutes, until persimmons are soft. Preheat grill till hot. Remove foil, spoon syrup over the top of the fruit. Place dish under grill for 5-10 minutes or until fruit begins to caramelise on top.
Serve hot or room temperature, with syrup and yoghurt or cream if desired.

Photo By Jennifer Jenner

Persimmon Perfection This Autumn

Crunchy and Sweet, Persimmons are the Perfect Autumn Treat

The Australian Persimmon season is now underway, with the first lot of fruits arriving in groceries and supermarkets now.

The autumn delicacy, available from mid-March through to June, is a delicious fruit that is loved for its sweet, honey-like taste.

There are two types of persimmons available in Australia, the crisp, crunchy Sweet persimmon and the soft, juicy Original persimmon. Sweet persimmons are the predominant type grown, which vary in colour from a pale orange to a deeper orange, and make for a beautiful harvest, with the leaves of persimmon trees turning the same bright colour to match the deliciously, sweet fruit.

They are delicious eaten fresh, like a crunchy apple, or as a flavoursome addition to autumn salads and are also perfect for cheese platters. Being firm, sweet persimmons are also tough enough to survive school bag bumps making them the perfect tasty change for lunch boxes.

Sweet persimmons are an excellent source of fibre and are also a great source of vitamin C and beta carotene, making them the perfect natural immunity booster as we head into winter.

President of Persimmon Australia, Chris Stillard, recommends buyers choose their persimmons according to colour.

"Pick with colour – a consistent orange colour, preferably firm, but you can eat them soft too. If they do soften, they're a great topper for breakfast cereals or added to a smoothie. There's no need to peel the skin either, so there's absolutely no waste which is even better," said Mr Stillard.

Mr Stillard said shoppers across Australia will start to see this autumnal fruit ripe and ready to eat from mid- March in good green grocers and supermarkets, with the harvest starting in Queensland. The cooler climates of Victoria will begin to supply the market around mid-April.

To store persimmons, Mr Stillard recommends keeping the sweet persimmons in a fruit bowl at room temperature, out of direct sunlight and out of the refrigerator.

For inspiring recipes and information about delicious Aussie persimmons visit www.persimmonsaustralia.com.au