Persimmon Chips

So persimmon season is upon us, and as a result, a friend gave me bucketfuls of Fuyu persimmons from their tree. Having not tried persimmons before, I was gleefully filling bags of persimmons to take home. Because you can't go wrong with free food, am I right? 
Wrong! My family protested strongly when my heavy sack of persimmons was brought in-- apparently, not one of my family members enjoys the flavor of persimmons.  I was feeling helpless at that point-- the sudden fright of knowing that I selfishly hoarded pounds of persimmons without having a plan of what I'd do with them, brought on my guilty thoughts: I have struck a beautiful fruit useless. Given my scale-able sadness, I decided to try to eat one myself. Disappointingly, there is no fruit that I adore less than persimmons. 

I paced about the house for a couple days, wondering what I'd do with them, given that nobody really likes them. I pondered the idea of pureeing them and making a persimmon custard or pie, or even a persimmon souffle as I've done with yams in previous years. All, however seemed trite, and in addition, my family protested. After making apple chips a week before with apples that we bought in bulk and found going bad, it struck me to try Fuyu persimmon chips! To the dismay and outcries from the naysayers in my family, I replied, 'Yes, darn it! Chips!' 
Using the mandolin attachment that came with our food processor, the beauty of the persimmon chip was born. The novelty I discovered was that when the persimmon is sliced vertically, it appears to have a lightly colored line down the center. But when cut laterally, however, the light line transforms into the shape of a star/sand dollar! 
I placed the slices in the oven on a wire mesh grilling tray my parents had found at the dollar store many months before. This tray I've found very valuable in drying many of my excess fruits in the oven, and also in making chips of other types. 

I left them in the oven for around 1 hour and 15 minutes. The result was a crisp, sweet sand dollar chip! 
My friends liked them so much, one of my very good friends brought her own persimmons over to make more chips. 

Before last year, I had not known that there are two kinds of persimmons: the Fuyu, the kind you can eat right away, and the Hachiya, the horribly bitter kind you can't eat until they are very mushy. To tell the difference between them without being traumatized by the astringency, its easiest to note that the Fuyu are flatter, more pancake shaped, and the Hachiya are more oblong, similar in shape to a Roma tomato.  In any case, to make these persimmon chips, I found it easiest to use the Fuyu persimmons, because they are more firm when ripe, and they ripen sooner. I tried slicing the Hachiya persimmons when ripe and it became just a mushy mess! 



By the way, I believe I've found the only way my family will eat persimmons (aside from the souffle)!


The recipe is as follows:

Persimmon Chips
Ingredients: 

5 fuyu persimmons, washed with leafy tops removed


Directions: 

1. Slice persimmons laterally (across the fattest width of the persimmon) to 1/8 inch thickness
2. Place chips on a wire mesh tray, like a grilling tray or metal cooling rack that breathes. 
3. Bake in the oven at 200F for 2 hours and 15 minutes, or to the firmness that you desire.  

Some notes: 

• Thinner persimmon slices should be separated and baked on a separate tray because they require less cooking time (say 45 minutes for 1/16 inch thickness)
• There may be no need to oil the baking tray. The trays I used were aluminum, not nonstick, but the chips were easy to remove from the trays.
• After arranging my persimmons on the tray, I also tried sprinkling them with cinnamon and sugar, and a variant with cinnamon and Splenda (sucralose), both with wonderful results after baking. 
• These chips I've found taste wonderful with desserts containing nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon, but also pair well with other flavors like orange, ginger, and anise. 

For now I've exhausted my supply of persimmons, but I have great plans of a persimmon chip comeback, maybe using them as a garnish over pudding with a orange zest and ginger, or with a spice cake! For more unique ways to use persimmons, see my persimmon ginger souffle!


Meanwhile, you can take home the recipe, here!