Hard persimmons on the left, soft ones on the right.
Yi loves figs but I now love persimmons, only Italian persimmons., because they are super sweet, juicy and don't have that 'pull in the mouth' feeling. That's one hard persimmon on the left and three soft ones in the tray.
Of all the fruits I ate in Italy last month, the persimmons were the best. The grapes were sweet and juicy, the plums too, and the melons, but it was the persimmons that took my breath away. In Malaysia, we get persimmons from Korea and Israel and the fruit vendors always tell us that the best persimmons in the world are from Israel. They are wrong. Israeli persimmons are not very sweet (at least not the ones we get here), small (half the size of Italian persimmons), flat on both ends and give a slight 'pull in the mouth', like some unripe fruits do. That's the main reason why persimmons were not on my list of favorite fruits. Italian persimmons don't give that unpleasant mouth feel and are more like Chinese persimmons, big, sweet and very juicy. Persimmons, like oranges, originated from China. I didn't know that hard persimmons and soft persimmons are two different varieties until I was told so in Italy. I've always eaten hard persimmons while my mom, who grew up in China, thinks persimmons are best soft. Apparently the Italians prefer soft persimmons too. The soft persimmons, called kaki, are more prevalent. My new Italian friend Walter, a great cook, gave me a persimmon recipe that sounds so mouth-watering that I want to share with you in case you can get hold of kaki.
Persimmon Coulis With Whipped Cream N Marron Glaces
1. Blend and sieve the pulp of 4 kaki persimmons + 4 T fine sugar + juice from 1/2 lemon (you just made a thick sauce called coulis).
2. Divide the persimmon coulis into 4 or 5 individual deep dish/bowls, top with a large dollop of freshly whipped cream (not too sweetened), top again with choc chips or even better, marrons glaces (candied chestnuts).
Doesn't that sound awesome? I can imagine how it looks and tastes!
We can get Japanese persimmons in the supermarkets in KL now too, they're much softer and sweeter than the Korean ones.
ReplyDeleteso glad to see you posting regularly again ... i missed my dose of travel and food envy.
ReplyDeletedo you have travel plans for Christmas/NY?
Hi Terri,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! You mentioned recently that you'd gotten a Nespresso machine. I was wondering how that was working out for you. Which model did you get? Do you use it often? Do you still use your old coffeemaker (if you had one)? Is it better than the local kopitiam kopi? I'm curious as I haven't decided whether it's worthwhile to splurge on a machine (it's the cost of replenishing the capsules that has me hesitant).
Best regards,
Jasmine
I love persimmons! However, it is almost impossible to get them in Kuching.
ReplyDeleteI had Spain Persimmons last week in Singapore! SGD 4.90 each like that, super sweet ! No seed one.. hard type but not like apple hard, Luv it so much n can't get in KL so sad!
ReplyDeleteDenise@Chickyegg
babysumo: i live in a remote island:(
ReplyDeletelunchguy: my daughter has to travel to europe again in dec and january so our travel plans are uncertain altho i'd love to go away since my house is still under renovation; such a mess. what about you?
jasmine: oh dear, i dont rmber the model but it's the one tt can make froth n stuff. it's red in color. we love it! the first time we used it, we made our fave tenom kopi (it's like ipoh kopi) n nespresso coffee and it was a shock to find tt tenom coffee has the scent when sniffed but no flavor when you drink it, compared to nespresso coffee which is very rich n deep in flavor. it's a whole new thing, a whole new taste. however, it's true, you can only use the capsules n no other coffee brands so it's limited in tt sense but there are plenty of flavors to choose from.
ck: me too, but i dont like the israeli ones. see denise's comment below. sometimes, sometimes, i wish i live in singapore!
denise: sgd4.90 is expensive, multiply our $, it's super expensive! but one big one is enough ya? in milan, it's only 2 euros per kg...
Many thanks for the exciting blog posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you are a brilliant writer. I actually added your blog to my favorites and will look forward for more updates. Great Job, Keep it up.. :)teddy bears for babies
ReplyDelete@terri: the first part of the month is dedicated to rock 'n' roll, will see Sting and Elton John back to back on to successive days, then i am going to have a small Christmas dinner party, and NYE i am not certain, but the second week of January i am planning on a trip either up North to Chiang Mai or SE to Koh Chang. it will depend on the amount of time i will have. Chiang Mai is cool now and it would be nice to spend a few days hiking in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteBest!! I love soft persimmons too..those in your pics looks so yummms and juicy! I wish I could have some... hehehe..
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