It's never really occurred to me to actually "make" anything with sweet persimmons before, but this season I have discovered that they slow bake brilliantly, that they also make a unique and delicious chutney & they're jolly good in a loaf.
To slow bake them simply slice them through as evenly as possible- no need to peel them, lay them out in a baking dish on baking paper & bake at about 140 for around 40 minutes. Once cool they keep really well in the fridge uncovered.
I had a few misgivings about the recipe but decided to more or less follow it the first time round- cooking it in a pot, but also reducing the enormous volume of fresh turmeric (2 cups full!) and tweeking a few other aspects. Even then it tasted like an odd kind of jam thing as it had no vinegar in the recipe. Nice but strange.
So, the second time round I made it in a baking dish & cooked it in the oven and what a difference that makes.
I think that it needs to be a loose recipe- use what you've got and adjust to your own taste.
This last batch was made with around 8 pretty ripe, but not squishy sweet persimmons. No need to peel. Cut them all up fairly finely and add to the baking dish.
Add 1/2 apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar.
1 cup of mango juice- yip you can taste the mango flavour in and it works
1/3 cup of jaggery, or other sugar
A large tsp of good salt
1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon (cinnamon stick if you prefer) 1 tsp cardamom, a pinch of cayenne pepper or a little chilli
3 fresh turmeric roots, a knob of fresh ginger grated
1 cup dried cranberries & a cup of dates if you like, but I prefer golden raisins.
Mix altogether & bake in a moderate oven stirring occasionally for around an hour or until it tastes amazing and looks about right to you. Adjust the the balance if you need to- more salt, spice etc.
Pour into sterilized jars and pop the lids on. Hot or cold doesn't seem to matter.
Label!
Katie X
