There are essentially two main types of persimmons: Hachiya and Fuyu. The former, native to North America, is about the size of an apple, and sort of acorn shaped, and will only really be very sweet when ripe or even over-ripe. The latter, native to Asia, are flatter, more donut shape and still sweet even when a little firm. Firm is what you want for a Persimmon Kale Salad.
The Korean persimmons I scored at a bargain at 1004gourmet were Fuyu persimmon, and while my parents (who were in town at the time) patiently waited for the Korean Fuyu Persimmons to ripen as they really enjoyed scooping out the ripe flesh with a texture akin to custard and enjoying it straight-up, I tend to be as fond of crisp, crunchy fruits as I am of pairing sweet with savory.
Because this Persimmon Kale Salad was destined to have more sweetness than your average salad would, it only made sense to use kale as the base green rather than lettuce, as I wanted a more earthy, nutty, deeper base flavor profile.
The only pro tip you really need to keep in mind whenever you make any sort of kale salad is that you must massage the leaves. This tenderizes them and makes them less chewy and more palatable for most kale haters. Another thing that helps, is chopping the leaves as finely as possible.
Heres all you need:
- 1 big bunch of kale
- 1 Fuyu Persimmon, thinly sliced
- 1 crunchy pear, thinly sliced
- 1 plump ball of burrata (around 250 grams, but a little extra won’t hurt anyone!)
- A handful of toasted walnuts (or pecans)
- A sprinkling of cranberries
- 2 tsps truffle mustard (you can use any kind of mustard you’d like really)
- 1/8 cup pear vinegar
- 1/8 cup good quality EVOO
- A crack of black pepper
- A sprinkling of sea salt
Method:
- Remove and discard the stems of the kale, firmly massage the leaves for at least 5 minutes, and chop as finely as you can.
- Arrange the persimmon slices, pear slices on the bed of kale. Tear the burrata on top, and sprinkle the walnuts and cranberries over it.
- To make the dressing, mix the mustard, vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper, give it a good shake so it emulsifies and drizzle onto the salad just before serving. Toss well and dig in.
Since you’re here, here’s another salad recipe you might like!
