Persimmon Pastry (Persimmon Galette)

Persimmons are in season every year from October to February. Which is a good thing because I love making this scrumptious Persimmon Pastry and eating it for breakfast or dessert.

 

The perfect combination of sugar and spice, add vanilla bean ice cream to make it even better!

Persimmon recipes are hard to find. Heck, persimmons can be hard to find! But when you do, you’ll know. Just look for something in the produce section that you aren’t too sure about.

What are Persimmons?

If you aren’t even sure what is a persimmon? Well they’re native to Japan or China but now grow all over the world. They are positively beautiful. A bright and vibrant orange orb with squatty little stems. You’ve probably seen one and mistaken it for a tomato.

Persimmon Pastry was a spur of the moment recipe. I was perusing the produce section when these gorgeous persimmons caught my eye. A ripe persimmon will be a deep orange color, slightly firm, but starting to get mushy. If you’re wondering what does a persimmon taste like? The flavor is mildly sweet.

Asian Persimmons vs American Persimmons

I substitute persimmons in many recipes that call for apples. They are about the same size and texture and it adds a level of uniqueness to any meal.

It is amazing how many people have never tasted or experimented with this luscious fruit! Persimmons are most commonly made into jam or marmalade, tossed into salads or eaten raw.

This Persimmon Pastry recipe was based on an apple tart I had seen that was almost too pretty to eat. I made up my own version and here it is. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Why You’ll Love This Persimmon Pastry

What’s not to love about a flaky pastry that’s full of warm spices and soft flesh fruit?

• Perfect, flaky crust – This pastry has a perfectly crispy and flaky crust without having to go through the work of mixing all purpose flour and unsalted butter in a food processor.
• Use of a unique fruit – It’s not often you find recipes that use persimmons. But this tart is a great way to try something new!
• No special equipment – No need to use a special pan or pie weights to make this pastry. Just regular kitchen appliances.

Ingredients

All of the ingredients needed to make this persimmon pastry can easily be found at your local grocery store.

• Persimmons – Often mistaken for a tomato because of it’s size and shape, a persimmon is a fruit that is found in the produce section of your local grocery store. I prefer fuyu persimmons. Fuyus are slightly sweet with a cinnamon undertone.
• Puff pastry – You will only need one sheet to make this pastry, but make sure it is defrosted. So much easier than making homemade pastry dough! No butter or flour needed.
• Cream cheese – We will use this to be make the spread that goes on top of the pastry dough.
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar adds not only sweetness but also a rich flavor to our cream cheese spread.
• Vanilla extract – Vanilla adds a warmth and delicious flavor to almost any baked good that it’s added to.
• Apple pie spice – Because persimmons have a cinnamon undertone and the texture of apples, apple pie spice is the perfect way to add some flavor to this tart.
• Heavy cream – We’ll use the cream in both the cream cheese spread and also the maple icing that goes on top.
• Turbinado sugar – Turbinado is basically a large grain, brown sugar. It’s great for adding a crunch when sprinkled onto baked goods.
• Powdered sugar – This is what helps to sweeten and thicken the maple glaze that goes on top of the pastry.
• Maple syrup – I like to use a good quality maple syrup for this recipe. It gives a bolder maple flavor to our glaze.

How to Make Persimmon Pastry

You are going to love how easy it is to make this simple dessert.

1. Prepare oven and baking sheet. Preheat the oven and cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make cream cheese spread. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla extract and apple pie spice. Set aside.
3. Prepare persimmons. Cut off the tops (stems) of persimmons and thinly slice vertically. Slices should be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Colorful skins can stay on.
4. Prepare puff pastry. Roll out puff pastry directly onto parchment paper and gently pull ends to make a rustic circle or square. Fold up edges to form a rim. This doesn’t need to be perfect. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the center of the pastry.
5. Add persimmons to pastry dough. Arrange the persimmon slices over the cream cheese mixture.
6. Baste and sprinkle with sugar. Baste the pastry edges and top of the persimmons lightly with cream. Sprinkle turbinado sugar over the pastry and persimmon slices.
7. Bake until edges of pastry are lightly browned. It might be a little puffy, this is fine.
8. Allow to cool. Remove and allow to cool before making and drizzling with icing.
9. Make and drizzle with icing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple syrup and heavy cream until smooth. Drizzle over the pastry. Top with the remaining turbinado sugar while still tacky.
10. Enjoy. Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

What to Serve with Persimmon Pastry

If you are serving this pastry as a breakfast dish, it might be nice to pair it with something savory. Breakfast meats like bacon or sausage, or even scrambled eggs would be great. You could also serve with a breakfast casserole.

If serving as a dessert, you can serve it with just about anything! I like to serve mine with vanilla ice cream as noted. A drizzle of caramel sauce would help to bring out the warm flavors.

Storage and Freezing

Because this pastry is relatively quick to throw together, I do not recommend making this recipe ahead of time.

How to Store Persimmon Pastry

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Similar to apple pie, it will last for about 3-5 days.

How to Freeze a Persimmon Pastry

When wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer storage bag, you can freeze this pastry for up to three months.

More Pastry Recipes

There’s nothing like flaky pastry to make the most delicious dessert. Here are some of our favorite pastry recipes.