Chai Persimmon Sorbert

My great uncle grows the crisp variety of persimmons ("kaki" 柿), called fuyu. Every year, I am entrusted with a giant Trader Joe's bag full of the beautiful orange fruit. I should have weighed the bag to find out exactly how many pounds, but trust me when I say it's way too many for one Miss Mochi to eat.

I stuffed them into bundt cakes for Thanksgiving. I chopped them over Greek yogurt and granola, sprinkled with cinnamon for breakfast. I served them as an appetizer with brie and crackers. I made bowls and bowls of fruit salad.

They were still ripening too fast for me to consume or cook them all fresh. I had some so ripe they were jiggly custard bombs ready to explode. I needed to do something, stat.

Betty has a new attachment!

And then I found this recipe, and swooned immediately. I knew exactly what I would do to salvage all the overripe persimmons crowding my counters. I knew this was what I was looking for, and I couldn't wait to play up the natural spiciness of the persimmon with strong chai tea rather than plain black tea. I also couldn't resist using a gift card to get myself an ice cream maker for my tangerine-colored mixer, "Betty."

This recipe can be made with either the hachiya, which is astringent until it is ripened to jelly-level, or the fuyu, which normally you would eat when it is as firm as a pear or apple, but the fuyu is perfect for this if you let them ripen past that.

Chai Persimmon Sorbet

The purée is a beautiful fiery orange

adapted from Serious Eats' recipe

20 ounces of very ripe persimmon, deseeded and peeled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chai tea
2 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Take the persimmon and sugar and blend in a blender or food processor until smooth and completely free of lumps.

Pass through a sieve (the purée is very thick), you should have 2 cups of purée.

Soft-serve consistency

Combine the tea, lemon juice, and salt, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Add mixture to the persimmon/sugar purée and stir until completely combined.

Chill mixture in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or overnight in the fridge.

Process in your ice cream maker according to your manufacturer's directions. Serve immediately for soft-serve style, or place in an airtight container to cure in the freezer overnight for a more scoop-able texture.

I garnished mine with pomegranate arils here, but I also recommend serving it with gingersnap cookies.

See Also:
Kaki Kohaku Namasu
Fuyu Kaki Bundt
Fall Fruit Salad