So the other day I tried cooking with an ingredient I’ve never used before, not even handled, but one which grows everywhere here. It’s the persimmon/Sharon fruit, or chachi as it is known in Italy and many people grow the trees which produce their bright orange fruit in November and December when all the leaves are gone and people’s gardens can often be seen glowing with these fruits!
The jam did not look promising at first, but after a long slow cook then putting it through the food mill (which we normally use to remove the tomato skins when we’re making passata), adding sugar and pectin, I was able to make a very unusual and delicious tasting jelly. It has a sweet taste with a slight bitter edge which I think will make it great for cooking with too.
Next on the unusual fruits menu is medlars, which after last year’s unsuccessful jelly I’m going to substitute for the plums in Hugh F-W’s hot and sour plum sauce…
Happy New Year everyone!