Sweet and savoury: two ways with in-season persimmons

Photo / Babiche Martens

They’re here for such are short time but right now the trees are laden with persimmons. From mains to dessert, make the most of the season with these two deliciously easy recipes.

Thai-inspired beef and persimmon salad. Photo / Babiche Martens.

Thai-inspired beef and persimmon salad

Serves 4

1 Tbsp grapeseed oil

500g beef fillet

3 persimmons

1 red onion

1 cup mint leaves

1 bunch coriander

Dressing

2 cloves garlic

3cm ginger

2 tsp palm sugar

3 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp fish sauce

Heat a frying pan while trimming the fillet of any fat. Add the oil and cook the beef over a high heat for 3 minutes on each side, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

Make the dressing by peeling and crushing the garlic, peel and grate the ginger then combine both with the sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Peel and slice the persimmons. Slice the steak and arrange on the persimmons, on serving plates with thin slices of onion, mint leaves and roughly chopped coriander. Generously drizzle over the dressing and serve.

- Recipe by Amanda Laird

Persimmon, walnut and ginger crumble. Photo / Babiche Martens

Walnut, ginger and persimmon crumble

Serves 4-6

4 persimmons

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 cup dessert wine

1 cup water

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground ginger

70g plain flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

60g butter

30g ground walnuts

Icing sugar

Softly whipped cream to serve

Preheat oven to 200C. Grease a 1-litre baking dish. Peel and roughly chop the fruit. Add to the dish and add the zest, wine and water. Bake for 20 minutes.

Sift the baking powder, ginger and flour into a bowl, then stir in the sugar. Cube the butter and rub in until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the nuts and spoon over the fruit.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden then dust with icing sugar and serve warm with whipped cream.

- Recipe by Amanda Laird