Persimmon Kale Salad with Toasted Pecans, Raspberries, and Feta Cheese

While exploring the medieval section of Vaison la Romaine, France we decided to take a break in our adventure. We were feeling an Aperol Spritz Calling! I had done a bit of research and had my heart set on stopping at La Beffroi Hotel https://www.le-beffroi.com/en/ for an afternoon cocktail. The hotel has an outdoor eating area that overlooks the bridge and river, Vaison la Romaine, and the surrounding hills. While making our way to our seats outside, we passed under a magnificent persimmon tree! It was beautiful, and so very full of persimmons. Prior to this, my experience with persimmons had been pretty sparse – only peering at them in the market and wondering “what would I do with that?”. After encountering this lovely tree, and chatting with the owner, I made a plan to learn a bit about persimmons and to come up with at least a couple recipes when I got home. Here is the first, an amazing Persimmon Kale Salad with Toasted Pecans, Raspberries, and Feta Cheese.

There are two major types of persimmons – Fuyu and Hachiya. They differ mainly in shape, astringency (mouth-drying tannins), and how ripe they must be before eating.​ Persimmons are a fall to early winter fruit; in most places they ripen and are available from about September through January, with peak availability in October–December. In grocery stores and markets, persimmons typically show up in mid to late fall and remain available into early winter.

Fuyu persimmons

Fuyu persimmons are non-astringent, so they can be eaten while still firm and crisp, more like an apple. They are squat and tomato-shaped with a flat bottom. They are usually sweet and mild, and are commonly used for snacking fresh, slicing into salads, or adding to cheese boards.​

Hachiya persimmons

Hachiya persimmons are astringent, meaning they are full of tannins and will taste very chalky and mouth-puckering if eaten when firm. They are larger and acorn-shaped with a pointed end. You need to leave them to ripen on the tree until very soft and jelly-like. When fully ripe, they become intensely sweet and are often scooped and used in baking, puddings, and smoothies.

Persimmon Kale Salad

I must say that persimmons are one of my new favorite fruits, with the flavor somewhere between a peach and apricot. For the Persimmon Kale Salad with Toasted Pecans, Raspberries, and Feta, you will need the Fuyu variety of persimmon. I used two for this recipe, one riper than the other, so as to add a bit of variety to the salad. The riper one lent a peach-like texture to the salad while the less ripe persimmon added crunch. The combination of all the ingredients has elevated this salad to one of my favorites! It would make a perfect addition to your holiday table. Enjoy!