Persimmons are one of those ingredients that have little variation of use in recipes. Most commonly the spicy fruit is used in breads, puddings, and cakes.
Because of their unique texture and flavor, pairing the fruit’s notes with new ingredients can be tricky. The fruit is entirely inedible until it fully rises into a mushy yet fleshy round.
I never pass up an opportunity to tinker with a new flavor or ingredient, but after purchasing persimmons at the farmer’s market I found this venture particularly challenging.
Limitless Google searches and recipe book thumb-throughs later, I landed on curd—mainly because I could store the completed curd until I decided what to pair it with later.
The inspiration hit only a few days later when my family hand delivered some fresh pecans. Spicy persimmons and nutty roasted pecans made for the perfect winter treat.
To make pop tarts, I make my classic pie dough (I think pie dough is the ultimate casing for a homemade tart) then stuff the dough with anything from curds to jams. The finisher—a salty sweet pecan crumble mushed onto the top of each pastry.
The creation is something between a warm pecan pie and spiced vanilla danish.
Ingredients
- For The Pastry:
- 2.5 Cups of AP Flour
- 1 Tsp of Salt
- 1 Tsp of Sugar
- 1 Cup of Butter, cold and cubed
- 4-5 Tablespoons of ice cold water
- For the Curd:
- 2 Cups of Persimmon Puree
- 1 Cup of Brown Sugar
- 1 Lemon
- 6 Eggs
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1 Cup of Sugar
- 1 Tsp of Salt
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups of Butter
- For the Pecan Topping:
- 2 Cups of Pecans
- 1.5 Cups of Flour
- 1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
- 2 Cups of Melted Butter
- 1.5 Cups of Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon of Salt
Instructions
- First make the dough.
- In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cubed butter.
- Pulse until butter combines into flour and resembles very course sand.
- Gently drizzle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until a dough forms.
- Turn out dough and form it into a flat disc.
- Cover the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- While the dough rests, make the persimmon curd.
- In a medium saucepan, combine persimmon puree, juice from the lemon, eggs, egg yolks, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla.
- Whisk until combined. Cook over medium heat until the temperature reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and be sure to whisky constantly.
- Remove mixture from heat and stir in the butter.
- Immediately strain the curd in a fine mesh strainer.
- Place the curd in an airtight container and allow to cool in the fridge.
- Next, coarsely chop the pecans for the topping.
- Place them into a large mixing bowl along with the remaining topping ingredients.
- Mix until well combined and set aside, covered.
- Prepare at least two sheet pans with slip mats. Set aside.
- Place the pie dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out until approximately 1/8 of an inch thick.
- Take a paring knife and slice dough into equal 3x4 rectangles.
- Evenly spread out rectangles onto the sheet pans.
- Heap approximately 3 tablespoons of persimmon curd onto the rectangles (I overfill my pop tarts). You want to leave close to 1/4 of an inch of clean dough around the edges.
- Next, brush the edges of the each rectangle with egg wash.
- Place a fresh rectangle of dough on top of the persimmon curd and press down all edges with a fork.
- Repeat until all of the pop tarts are made.
- Place in pan of pop tarts the fridge to cool for 10-20 minutes.
- While the tarts chill, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Finish the tarts by placing a heaping handful of pecan crumble on the top of each one, and gently press down.
- Bake for approximately 25-30, or until the edges are golden brown.
