Raw Autumn Tart
Mary Taylor
The rich flavor of a hazelnut crust provides a strong yet subtle background taste to the apple puree that serves as a base for this raw tart. It’s then balance by any variety of autumn fruit you choose to place on top.
yield: 6-8 servings | prep time: 1 hour
ingredients
2 cups hazelnuts
1 1/4 cup Medjool dates
Pinch of cayenne
3 tart apples
1/4 cup dried apple slices
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 banana
1 fuyu persimmon, sliced thin
Mixed seasonal berries
3 tablespoons apricot jam, melted and strained
You might think of persimmons as a fruit that must only be eaten when it is fully ripened. That’s when the flesh develops a soft, pudding-like texture that has a super sweet almost ambrosial quality to it.
There is nothing quite like the taste of a scoop of fully ripe persimmon! Hachiya persimmons—the variety most commonly found in most US markets and many other varieties contain a high amount of tannin. This makes them heavenly when ripe and memorably astringent, bitter and unpleasant when not.
But you’re likely to find fuyu persimmons in good markets these days as well. They can be ripened until soft, but because they contain less tannin they may also be eaten, skin and all, like an apple. Less ripe fuyu persimmons are still incredibly sweet and flavorful, but with a crisp inviting texture that compliments the berries and puree in this raw tart recipe.
Thank you to our friend and fellow teacher, Mojdeh Zahiraleslamf, or sharing from her garden the beautiful fuyu persimmons pictured above.
The hachiya persimmon is eaten soft only.
directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast, turning a few times, for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned inside.
Immediately transfer to a clean kitchen towel, folding the towel over the nuts and rubbing thoroughly to remove as much skin as possible.
Discard the skin nad transfer the nuts to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade.
Meanwhile, remove pits from dates and chop them into small pieces. Place them in a small mixing bowl and pour boiling water over to soften
In separate bowls, soak the dried apples and raisins, allowing all the dried fruit to soften for about 15 minutes.
Drain the dried fruit, squeezing out most of the water. Add about 2/3 of the dates to the hazelnuts along with the cayenne. Process until evenly ground to a medium texture. Press this nut mixture into one large or two smaller pie plates. The crust may be prepared up to 24 hours in advance.
Peel, core and chop the fresh apples. Place them in the food processor along with the remaining medjools, drained dried apples, and raisins. Add the lemon juice and banana, reserving about 2-inches of the banana to use as topping for the tart if desired.
Process until evenly mixed and smooth. Transfer to the pie plate and arrange fresh fruit on top. Glaze the fruit with a brushing of warmed appricot jam. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.