Tag: persimmon

In the countryside with Rosa and Carlo Cracco (and their persimmon jam) – Italian Cuisine

In the Romagna hills with Rosa Fanti and her husband Carlo Cracco, who reveal the secret to a delicious persimmon and marron glacé jam

We are on the farm Sea View (that of the coast between Rimini and Cesenatico that can be seen on the horizon), of Carlo Cracco and his wife Pink Fanti, on the hills around Santarcangelo di Romagna. Here the landscape is enchanting and fruit is serious business.

Between rows of Trebbiano vines Red flame (ancient and precious) and centenary olive trees, ample space is in fact found by cherry and fig trees and, now that we are in season, some sweet persimmons "we have almost a hectare", she explains, which we reached for the first harvest of the estate. All around, the chef's tribe: his sons Pietro and Cesare, his in-laws and brother-in-law Nicola (with his wife and children), owner of a restaurant in the beautiful Romagna village: Osteria da Oreste.

Rosa Fanti in the family farm, Vistamare, near Santarcangelo di Romagna. Behind him, from the left, his niece Greta, his sons Cesare and Pietro and his cousin Edoardo, brother of Greta. Photo by Enrico De Luigi

The company, which is making the path towards organic certification, has its own innovative concept of sustainability that always refers to the sweet fruits of the earth "fruit, in addition to entering the menu of the starred restaurant (Carlo in the Galleria, in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, ed), is part of a project by recycling. With the peel of peaches and apricots for example, in collaboration with the company Favini, we obtain paper for our menus and for the gift boxes of our products. With peach and cherry pits, flours for cakes on sale in the pastry shop in the Galleria, in Milan .

From there, comes a delicious idea for an autumn persimmon-based jam: here it is exclusively for you.

The rest of the interview with Rosa and our service carried out on the farm, in October 2020 issue of La Cucina Italiana.

Persimmon and marron glacè jam

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients for 3 jars of 250 g

8 ripe persimmons
150 g brown sugar
10 sage leaves
6 marron glacé
2 organic lemons
4 g pectin
1 vanilla bean
salt

Method

Clean the persimmons by removing the stalk and peel, and pour the pulp into a bowl.

Finely slice the yellow part of the lemon peel, obtaining zestas. Add them to the pulp and leave to macerate for a few minutes. Add the pectin, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and the vanilla pod, then transfer the mixture into a saucepan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring constantly. Add the juice of a lemon and continue to cook for a minute.

Remove from the heat and add the sage leaves, tied together with kitchen thread or enclosed in cheesecloth and mix. Let it rest for a few minutes, then remove the sage leaves and the vanilla bean.

In the meantime, clean the jar perfectly, break up 2 marron glacé for each jar and pour the hot mixture over it. Once the jars are closed, turn them upside down and leave them for 12 hours to create the vacuum.

Advice: this aromatic jam is ideal for filling shortcrust tartlets, perhaps with a dollop of whipped cream.
Also excellent with aged cheeses, such as pit cheeses.

Prepare the persimmon flan – Italian Cuisine

Persimmons are one of the most appreciated fruits of this season: rich in vitamin C, fiber and beta-carotene, a natural antioxidant useful for the immune system and skin well-being, they are also very energetic because they contain lots of sugars. Excellent to be consumed at the end of a meal, they are also a perfect ingredient for making creams or desserts, such as persimmon flan. Follow our tips to prepare it.

The ingredients of the persimmon flan

1.3 kg persimmon – 675 g granulated sugar – 300 g ready-made custard cream – 170 g slightly more 00 flour – 150 g cow's milk ricotta – 125 g more butter – 100 g egg white – 75 g icing sugar – 50 g almond flour – 50 g almond flakes – 15 g pectin – vanilla beans – lemon – salt.

Which wine do you combine it with?

A soft and creamy dessert, suitable for everyone, both large and small, perfect for this season, to be served with a glass of late harvest, such as Cala dei Tufi, Settesoli cellars.

Recipe Shot glasses of persimmon and apples – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

200 g fresh cream
200 g sugar
200 g Greek yogurt
6 g edible gelatine in sheets
2 pcs khaki
a green tea bag
a green Granny Smith apple
a red Royal Gala apple
lemon

Duration: 1 h 50 min

Level: Middle

Dose: 4 people

For the recipe of the glasses of persimmons and apples, prepare a syrup by cooking the sugar with 350 g of water and a sachet of green tea until boiling. Remove from the apples, without peeling, 2-3 slices and reduce them into small cubes. Dip them in lemon juice to prevent them from turning black on contact with the air. Put the gelatin in a bowl of water.
Peel the rest of the apples, cut them into touches and add them to the syrup. Remove the tea bag and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the touches of apple, keeping the syrup, and blend them to obtain a cream. Strain the syrup and add the squeezed gelatine immediately when it is still warm; stir until it is completely dissolved. Let the syrup cool, then pour a finger into each of the 4 glasses you will use to serve; add the diced apple and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Peel the persimmons and shake them until you get a smooth sauce. Mix the apple cream with 200 g of Greek yogurt.
Whip the cream and add it to the apple cream. Distribute it in glasses and complete with the persimmon sauce. Rest in the fridge again for 30 minutes; finally decorated to taste with apple slices and mint leaves.