The basic structure for this posting is: Fruit, cheese, and nuts topped with a simple vinaigrette.
Let's look more closely at the ingredients.
Fruit = sweet
Cheese = fatty, savory, and salty
Nuts = crunchy, chewy, and salty
Vinaigrette = flavorful, oily, and a bonding element across all of the above tying it all together
This all started when a friend recently told us that his Fuyu persimmon tree was full of ripe fruit and he had a bag of persimmons for us from his backyard.I originally went to my catalog recipe for Persimmon and Grilled Cheese Sandwich but I wanted something fresher and lighter.
We had recently checked out a Bon Appetit magazine from our library and there was an article in there that laid out the structure. I took that and ran with it.
But you can apply the same structure with other similar ingredients:
Fruit = Persimmon, apple, pear, oranges, Clementines
Cheese = Blue cheese, Gouda, Parmesan, ricotta
Nuts = Pistachios, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans
Vinaigrette = Any neutral oil, a neutral vinegar (rice wine), and seasoning (garlic, herbs, mustard, etc.)
For the vinaigrette, I used one of many in my catalog but next time I might use a different one.
Again, the structure is loose. Don't follow this verbatim but adapt as I did.
Persimmon, Blue Cheese, and Pistachio Salad
Ingredients:- Fuyu persimmons - 3 ever so slightly ripe, peeled and sliced
- Pistachios - about 2 Tbsp. roasted and salted
- Blue cheese - crumbled
- Simple vinaigrette - see below
Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup white wine or rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup oil
- black pepper and salt to taste
Directions:
- Thoroughly mix the vinaigrette ingredients with a whisk and let sit for a period of time
- Cut off the top and bottom of the persimmon and peel off the sides. Cut into slices. Distribute slices on a dinner plate.
- Crumble cheese on top
- Sprinkle the pistachios over everything
- Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad
Enjoy.
