No meal is complete without dessert. Persimmon is the star of this dessert, it’s a juicy fruit that ripens in the late fall to winter and works perfectly in baking. “I love this puff pastry Persimmon tart because it’s an unexpected choice and feels like a celebration,” says chef Christine Cushing. Note: if you start with frozen puff pastry, you can make this picture-perfect tart in less than an hour, yet it looks like you worked all day.
PUFF PASTRY
• 1 1⁄2 cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) cold water
• 3⁄4 cup (200 g) unsalted butter, cut into thin pieces and chilled or 1 lb (500g) frozen puff pastry
TART
• 2 whole persimmons, thinly sliced into wedges
• 1⁄4 cup (50 ml) sugar
• 2 tbsp (15ml) apple jelly
• 2 tbsp (25 ml) pomegranate juice
• 1⁄2 cup (125 ml) almonds, thinly sliced
• sprigs of thyme, optional
PUFF PASTRY STEPS
1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl.
2. Add in the cold butter and turn onto board.
3. With a rolling pin work flour with butter until well blended.
4. Transfer back to the bowl and add in cold water.
5. Stir with fork until it just comes together.
6. Knead briefly to make a semi-smooth dough.
7. Pat dough into a flat 1-inch thick rectangle.
8. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
9. Roll the dough into a 5 by 12-inch rectangle. Keep it even.
10. Rotate the dough so it is horizontal. Fold the right side into the centre then fold the left side into the centre.
11. Now fold dough in half. That is now a completed full turn.
12. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
13. Repeat the full turn, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
14. Cut dough in 1⁄2 and save remaining dough for another tart.
DOUGH STEPS
1. Preheat oven to 410°F.
2. Roll out pre-made dough or store-bought dough to a quarter-inch thickness and cut a 10-inch circle out of the pastry.
3. Cut slits around edges of the dough and turn inwards to form a crust
4. Place the dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the freezer and sprinkle the dough with half the sugar.
6. Arrange persimmon slices in a fan shape on the dough.
7. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
9. While tart is baking, mix apple jelly and pomegranate juice together and add to a pan on medium heat.
10. Cook until jelly and juice have reduced to a glaze.
FINISHING TOUCHES
1. Once tart is removed from oven, brush with glaze.
2. Sprinkle the edge with almonds and arrange thyme leaves.
3. Bake the tart for an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until golden and glossy.
