Persimmons!

I was pretty excited to get a Hachiya Persimmon the other day, having never had one before.  Was I to eat it as is?  Cooked? Baked?

I poured through my cookbooks and found some interesting facts. The astringency of the persimmon can be overwhelming, to the point of "dry mouth" if it isn't ripe.  Didn't want that to happen.  So I waited for a few days, allowing the fruit to ripen on my counter in direct sunlight.
It is a very lovely fruit to look at and I dug up a recipe that sounded perfect.  No baking (often if using persimmons in baked goods it was suggested using baking soda to help cut the astringency) or roasting needed. 
The cookbook I pulled it from was old enough that they were still calling avocado's Alligator Pears.  How fantastic is that?  After slicing it in half I scooped the fruit from the skin as I do with avocado. The flavor was mild and sweet while the texture was soft, almost like a canned peach.

It is a simple salad of romaine lettuce topped with the persimmon, cut into chunks, avocado, orange sections, and pistachios.  The recipe called for French Dressing, but I lightened it up a bit and just drizzled some extra virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
I hope you enjoy.