Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

Most of the food on our Christmas dinner table was brown - turkey, mushroom pie, stuffing, all three gravies - so I served this colorful salad to perk things up a little.

A little watercress and a serrano pepper from our garden added heat to the sweet fuyu persimmon and pomegranate. Walnuts added crunch and a sprinkle of cilantro added extra color. I served the salad on a bed of butter lettuce, but it would also have been pretty in a glass bowl.

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

2 lbs fuyu persimmons

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 serrano pepper, minced

1 tbsp walnut oil

scant 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

2 tbsp toasted walnuts

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Slice persimmon in half, then crosswise in half-moons. Remove any seeds as you go.

Whisk together the lime juice, cumin, serrano and walnut oil. Add a dash of salt. Taste on a piece of persimmon and add more chile if desired. Stir in persimmons and let sit until ready to serve.

Layer plate with lettuce (or put persimmons in glass bowl). Put persimmons on lettuce, then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, walnuts and cilantro.

Serves 4

Versatile persimmons

Our morning fruit has been extra colorful recently, with the addition of persimmons to the grapes and pears.

There are two kinds of persimmons - those that are good when firm, and others that need to be very mushy in order to taste good.

I prefer the firm ones, the fuyus. They are what I cut up for our bowls of fruit.

At Thanksgiving, I served persimmons in a colorful salad with pomegranate seeds, lime juice and jalapenos. It was pretty and zesty — a lively addition to the festivities.

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad
1 lime
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 fuyu persimmons
seeds from half a pomegranate
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
lettuce

Toss the jalapeno in the lime juice and let stand a couple of minutes. Cut out the stem end of the persimmons, and take a thin slice off the bottom. Quarter and thinly slice the persimmons, and add to the jalapeno. Peel half the pomegranate (see my blog post here for detailed instructions and pictures), and add the seeds to the bowl along with the pumpkin seeds, olive oil and cilantro. Turn well and let marinate at room temperature 30 minutes to 2 hours. Line a platter with lettuce and pile the salad on top.

Serves 4.