From the Demo, Saving the Season- Fall Demo
Recipe courtesy of Kevin West
Please note that persimmons do not have enough natural acidity to be safely canned, since low-acid foods can develop botulism during shelf storage. Accordingly this is a “fresh jam” that should be stored in the fridge and eaten within about a week. It can also be frozen.
5 pounds fuyu persimmons
1 cup water
1.5 cups sugar (or even less to taste—the fruit is very sweet on its own, and the sugar is just to add succulence and develop the natural flavor, in the same way that salt develops the flavor of savory foods.)
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5″ cinnamon stick
1 Rinse persimmons, cut away stem and peel. Cut into 1/2″ cubes.
2 Place sliced fruit in a small kettle with 1 cup water and simmer 20-25 minutes until soft. Pass pulp through a food mill. You should have about 5 cups of puree.
3 Return puree to the kettle and add sugar, molasses, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Taste and adjust sugar and lemon juice if necessary. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. While constantly stirring, reduce to the consistency of apple sauce. It’s ready when a teaspoon of puree holds its shape on a cold plate and the liquid no longer separates at the edges.
4 Refrigerate and eat within a week or else freeze in a snap-seal container.
YIELD: 5 pounds fruit yielded about 2 pints of butter
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