Persimmon Grilled Cheese

Growing up we had a lot of persimmons in the house. This was mostly due to the persimmon tree in my grandparent's yard. But the persimmons were the Hachiya variety. A few dozen would be placed on the picture window sill coaxing them into ripeness. We would cut them open and enjoy them and my mother would make multiple batches of persimmon bread for the freezer which we enjoyed throughout the year.

The persimmons that showed up in the box recently were Fuyus and I'm less familiar with them. But then I saw this recipe and I knew I had to make it.

Here's an excellent quick guide to persimmons.

The recipe comes from Bay Area writer and chef Eric Gower. He writes occasionally for the San Francisco Chronicle. He has a unique approach to food and he infuses everyday cooking with some global flavors and approaches.

Persimmon Grilled Cheese:

• Gouda - original recipe called for goat gouda which I couldn't find at Whole Foods so I used a cow's milk gouda
• Chevre - I used a plain chevre
• Fuyu persimmons - slices of ripe, peeled persimmon
• Bread - the better the bread the better the sandwich
• Butter - see above
• Black Pepper - a dusting of freshly ground pepper

The results were excellent. The creamy gouda complemented the milder chevre. The cheese flavors mixed nicely with the crisp, fruity persimmon. The Irish butter added a soothing extra element. It all worked well together.

(Updated Feb. 7, 2024)

Dill Butter

A huge bunch of dill arrived in our box this week. I mean, huge. If I dried this dill and stuck it in a jar, I would still be working on using it up a year from now.

Dill is subtle but aromatic. It's not a herb I go to often. So I felt at a bit of a loss as to what to do with all this dill.

I knew it would not last long so I decided to go back to my herb butter recipe I have done in the past. 

I also had a bit of leftover parsley on hand that I threw in as well. But the the most prominent herb is dill.

Dill Butter

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of dill
• additional herbs and black pepper as desired
• butter

Directions

• Let the butter soften at room temperature
• Prepare dill by picking off the leaves and chopping
• Combine butter and herbs in bowl or food processor
• Spoon herb butter mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a cylinder
• Place it in the fridge to solidify overnight
• Remove from fridge and let it soften slightly
• Cut into individual pieces and place in a freezer baggie

Now that it's in the freezer, what do you do with it?

• As you prepare a side of veggies, add a bit of dill butter. 
• Add a dab to roasted salmon.
• Prep the skillet with the herb butter prior to adding eggs on a weekend breakfast.

Some additional resources on the subject:

http://www.barefootkitchenwitch.com/the_barefoot_kitchen_witc/2010/07/dill-butter.html

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/dill-butter/detail.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-corn-on-the-cob-with-dill-butter-recipe/index.html

http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/04/08/grilled-salmon-dill-butter-recipe