Roasted Persimmons

By á-29897

Hard fuyu persimmons are treated like vegetables here and turned into a savory (yet sweet!) fall or winter side dish. Roasting brings out the sweet, soft nature of hard-as-rocks fuyu persimmons. They are transformed into the perfect accompaniment to roasted pork or poultry - perfect with a Thanksgiving turkey or holiday ham.

Ingredients

• 4 fuyu persimmons
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• Sea salt to taste
• Lemon, lime, or orange zest (completely optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation
1.Preheat an oven to 350-375°F. Persimmons, like most roasted produce, are fairly flexible - too hot of an oven, though, and the sugars in them with burn rather quickly. While the oven heats, cut off the tops and bottoms of the persimmons. Peel them, if you like. Persimmon peel is a bit tough, but perfectly edible, so it's really a question of taste. Slice persimmons 1/4 - 1/2-inch thick.
2.Lay persimmon slices in a single layer (or as much of a single layer as you can manage) on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with about half the oil. Turn the slices over and drizzle with remaining oil. Bake persimmon slices until tender and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. How long they take to roast depends on how ripe they are, so 20 minutes is just a guide – look for tender persimmon slices with browning edges, not the clock!
3.When done roasting, sprinkle persimmon slices with salt to taste. You can grate a bit (just 1/4 tsp, total) of lime, lemon, or orange zest over them, too, if you like.