If you’re unfamiliar with persimmons, they’re basically very mild-tasting fruits with texture similar to an apple, but a little softer and meatier. Think the flesh of a tomato, but the non-juicy part. Their flavor is kind of similar to winter squash, but with slightly more sweetness and lots of moisture. There are two main types of persimmons, ‘fuyu’ and ‘hachiya’. Fuyu’s have a less stringent flavor than the hachiya persimmons, and fuyu is the variety I’ve used here. But you can use hachiya, you just have to make sure they are very ripe when you use them and are soft like a tomato. Persimmons are wonderful in both sweet and savory applications, you can puree them and put them in cake batters (this will be coming your way soon) or ice cream, or you can use them in stews or in sauces. Last week I pureed some persimmons with half of a roasted winter squash from the garden and made risotto, which was insanely good. They’re surprisingly versatile little fruits whose mild flavor pairs well with a wide variety of other ingredients.
Here, I paired persimmon with one of my all-time favorite foods, Vermont Creamery’s Madagascar Vanilla Bean Creme Fraiche. This is basically regular creme fraiche with straight-up vanilla beans pureed into it, so as you can imagine, it’s pretty much the best thing ever. If you’re unfamiliar with creme fraîche, it is basically cream that has been cultured with bacteria that make it more flavorful and create this insanely thick and velvety texture. It’s like what yogurt cultures do to milk, but with a much milder flavor and a really silky mouthfeel. If you really want to get your fraiche on, you can look at more recipes here. I’ve found their plain creme fraiche at most markets, but the vanilla bean one can be hard to find, so you can either order it online or use their regular 8 ounce plain creme fraiche and mix it with 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste to recreate it at home. Either way, when you use it as a base for custard, you know that custard is going to be pretty damn good. I sliced up the persimmons really thin and placed them on top of the custard filling, and then sprinkled a little sugar on top before popping it in the oven. Once it was done, I brushed it with a bit of honey syrup and took a giant bite. The persimmon paired so, SO well with the creme fraiche and honey syrup that I just stood there eating tart for about 10 minutes before I realized I should probably stop and save some for Jeremy. So if you’re scouting for an impressive sweet to make for the holiday season, I can’t recommend this highly enough. Your eyes, your palette, and your guests will be very pleased!
Like what you see? Ceramic plates, ceramic bottle, saucepan, wooden spoon.
Spiced Persimmon and Crème Fraîche Custard Tart
Ingredients
Spiced Tart Crust
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 9 tablespoons frozen unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Persimmon Custard Filling
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 8 ounces Vermont Creamery Madagascar Vanilla Bean Creme Fraiche
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon finely diced fresh rosemary
- 1 large or 2 small persimmons very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
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For the spiced tart crust, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter over the bowl, pausing to mix in the butter shards every 20 seconds so they don’t just form a large butter clump on the top of the bowl. Add the cold milk and then the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring the dough with a wooden spoon and then working it slightly with your hands to incorporate all the flour. If it doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of cold water and mix, repeat if necessary until a solid dough forms. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick, making a circular shape that is at least 11 inches in diameter. Press it into a 9-inch tart pan and trim off the excess. Prick it all over with a fork and then cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.For the custard, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a large casserole dish 3-inches deep with water and place it on the lowest rack in the oven.
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Whisk together the eggs and yolk in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan, whisk together the creme fraiche, 1/3 cup sugar, milk, flour, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt over low heat until combined. Allow to cook until hot but not boiling, stirring every minute. Remove from heat and ladle one scoop of the creme fraiche mixture into the egg mixture and whisk vigorously. Continue ladling the hot creme fraiche mixture into the egg mixture until all of the mixture has been incorporated, whisking constantly. Stir in the fresh rosemary and set aside.
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Remove the tart crust from the refrigerator and remove and discard the plastic wrap. Pour the custard into the tart crust until the tart is nearly full. Arrange the persimmon slices in four small fans, one in each quarter of the tart, and place one slice in the center. Sprinkle the top of the tart with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Place in the center rack of the oven and bake until the custard is a deep golden brown and has just begun to set, about 45 minutes. Turn the oven off, leave the oven door ajar, and allow to cool for 30 minutes in the oven before removing the tart from the pan.
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While it is cooling, heat the honey and water in a small saucepan over low heat until they form a smooth syrup, about 4 minutes, stirring every minute. Remove from heat.
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Once the tart has cooled, use a pastry brush to brush the persimmons with the honey syrup. Serve immediately.
I find persimmon a bit difficult to flavor, so I'm curious to try this recipe! x
Highly recommend it!
Whoa! These are right up my alley! I love persimmons, and I bet they pair perfectly with tangy creme fraiche and spices. Kinda jealous I didn't think of this first. 😉 Absolutely stunning photos, friend!
Thank you my dear Alanna!!! 😀
Whoa! These are right up my alley! I love persimmons, and I bet they pair perfectly with tangy creme fraiche and spices. Kinda jealous I didn't think of this first. 😉 Absolutely stunning photos, friend!
I've never tried a persimmon! They sound so amazing though, this looks great and I love creme fraiche too.
You should definitely give them a go, and thank you so much!
Gorgeous tart, I'm loving it! My neighbor used to have a persimmon tree and she would share lots of them but I had no idea what I should make with them back then. I will definitely have to try this lovely recipe next time I find myself needing to use some or happen to find them.
Thanks Tori! They really have such an interesting flavor profile, and can be used in a surprising amount of dishes.
THis combo sounds really good, I'm all for custardy tarts!!
http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt
Thank you, Miranda!
I just bought two persimmons on a whim and am going to make this! Thanks so much – what perfect timing. A beautiful post and photos too. Wow.
Thank you so much, Stefanie! Hope you enjoy it!
This sounds really great. But I think it's really important to point out the two main types of persimmons and specify which is used in recipes, as so many people aren't familiar with persimmons and they aren't interchangeable. It looks like you've used 'fuyu' type persimmon, which is much less stringent than the 'hachiya' type. But the hachiya is also delicious once fully ripened – you just have to wait until it they are really soft. Because if hachiya are firm enough to slice, they will be too bitter to eat. I grew up eating those in persimmon puddin', but now I'm more likely to eat the firmer persimmons in a salad. And every day when I can get them!
Thanks! I came over from my blog reader to share just the same thing.
Thanks so much, you guys! That is so interesting, I had no idea there were two types with such different flavor profiles. Going to amend the post to include this info, also. So helpful! Now I am very curious to find the hachiya type to see what it tastes like…
Beautiful as always, Eva. I never know what to do with persimmons… They are abundant where I come from, but most people eat them plain. I, however, just don't like them raw… This sounds like an amazing upgrade.
Thank you, Ksenia!! I also know people who like to eat them raw, but I am not a huge fan of the texture of them raw, personally, either, so I like to cook them up in sweet and savory dishes. I hope this gives you a good opportunity to use them up 🙂
Eva this is just stunning! I especially love that rosemary in there. Such an elegant holiday dessert!
Thank you so much, my dear Roxana!! 🙂
¡Fantástica receta! Fácil de elaborar, con buenas fotografías y un resultado final delicioso, me encanta. Muchas gracias por compartirla con todos/as.
/ http://www.mascasaonline.com
Tu eres muy simpatico, muchas gracias!! 🙂
persimmons are amazing! so beautiful, as always. your styling is so on point every time!
Thank you so much, Marcia!! You are so kind 🙂
This looks so tempting. I just made a shopping list to buy the ingredients and will bake this tomorrow 🙂 I love the moody atmosphere you're pictures convey… very lovely.
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed it 🙂
We've been eating the crap out of persimmons at my house.
They are soooo yummy, I've been putting them in nearly everything around here!
This sounds delicious. I am already thinking about Thanksgiving dishes this year and I feel like I’ll need to try this one out. What makes the custard filling the dark brown color? I know the recipe has some spices, but it doesn’t seem like enough to make it that dark of a brown?
Hi !
I can’t find the “Vermont Creamery Madagascar Vanilla Bean Creme Fraiche” in Quebec. What can I substitute it with?
Thanks in advance,
Alexandra
Hi Alex! You can substitute normal creme fraiche mixed with some vanilla extract and a tablespoon or two of sugar 🙂
Looks amazing! How big is your tart tin?
I have some whipping cream at hand which I wanted to use, so I was thinking if it could be replaced for fresh cream, and I won’t do something blasphemous?
It should work fine! Creme Fraiche is a bit thicker than regular whipping cream (thick sour cream in texture) so the custard might need more time to cook/set since it will have a higher water content, if that makes sense 🙂
We had high hope for this tart, but it was lot of work for the end product. My friend and I both felt the same. The crust had so much butter that we thought it would be flakier. It ended up more like the texture of bread. Not enough contrast between the crust and the filling. The filling tasted like pumpkin pie. Like I said, we had high hopes, it looked tasty but in the end it let us down.
The flavor was nicely spiced and it tasted like a pumpkin pie minus the pumpkin. A nice option for those seeking cozy sweetness. I did a heaping teaspoon of rosemary and it was still very subtle. My one gripe is that I baked this for an additional 15 minutes and it still turned out underbaked. Followed the instructions to a T. Maybe my steam tray blocked too much of the oven’s heat? If I were to make this again, I would blind bake the crust first and use a smaller steam tray.
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