Winter salad doesn't have to be heavy or boring when this Persimmon and Goat Cheese Salad is an option!
When fresh mandarins, pomegranates and persimmons hit our store in early winter this salad will make a delicious option for a fresh, bright salad.
Does it not seem to scream Christmas with the pomegranate and persimmon?
The dressing is light and bright. this would make a great salad course where the flavours can shine and not be overwhelmed by other dishes.
Don't let the persimmons scare you off. To keep it easy just remember FUYU!
There are 2 main types of persimmons- FUYUs and Hachiya.
Hachiya persimmons are a light orange colour and rather oblong. They are the divas of persimmons... they can be incredibly bitter astringent and tannic before they are fully ripe. Fully ripe in terms of a Hachiya persimmon means it is so soft it is almost gelatinous. Apparently they are incredibly sweet and heavenly at just the right moment.
Fuyus are much more forgiving. They look like a small squat tomato. They are sweet and flavourful and remain firm when ripe.
How Long Will Fuyu Persimmons Keep?
You can store unripe (unwashed) Fuyus in the fridge or a cool, dark place for up to a month. Take them out a few days before you want to use them to ripen.
They will ripen in a few days on the counter. You can speed up ripening on the counter by placing them in a closed paper bag with a banana or an apple.
A Fuyu persimmon will still be firm to the touch (not rock hard but like a ripe tomato texture).
Once ripe you can put them back in the fridge for a few days. If they are very ripe you could eat it with a spoon or puree it/them and freeze the puree.
This salad recipe is quite forgiving - use the greens of your choice.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Bibb lettuce or any greens of your choice
- 2 Fuyu persimmons peeled, cored and sliced
- 12 mandarin segments roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pomegranate arils roughly from ½ a pomegranate
- 4 oz goat cheese crumbled
- 2 Tbsps toasted almonds optional
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsps orange juice
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Dressing
- Whisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.
Salad
- Layer greens on a platter. Spread fruit evenly over the greens. Distribute Goat cheese evenly over the fruit. Top with toasted almonds if using. Drizzle with dressing. Divide among 4 plates and serve.
Leave a Reply