Persimmon Tart with Streusel

How to make a Persimmon Tart | LickMySpoon.com
Persimmon Tart with Streusel
Chef John Besh’s new cookbook, Cooking From the Heart, features a gorgeous Plum Tart with Streusel (Pflaumenkuchen) which he learned to make while training in Germany’s Black Forest region. He describes it as the region’s version of apple pie – such a staple that some cooks make it every day when the plums are in season. The recipe is wonderfully versatile, open to being adapted for whatever fruit is in season. Since the markets are overflowing with sweet persimmons now, that’s what I’ve gone with. I also found that I needed more butter to get my streusel to the right crumbly consistency.

Prep Time: 1 ½ hours (includes inactive chilling time)
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Yield: (1) 10-inch tart, about 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
1 egg

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg
½ cup brown sugar
8-10 persimmons
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Preparation:

Make the tart dough

  1. In a large mixing bowl, cut the cold butter into the flour until the flour has the consistency of semolina. Add the sugar, zest, and salt and mix until evenly distributed. Beat together the milk and egg and add to the bowl. Mix by hand until a crumbly dough is formed. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour before using, or freeze for later use.

Assemble the tart

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the tart pan with a round of parchment paper. Grease the lined pan with the 1 tablespoon of softened butter and dust with flour. Roll the tart dough on a well-floured surface until it is ¼-inch thick. Press the dough into the tart pan and trim excess dough. (Baked up scraps make an excellent snack!)
  2. Peel the persimmons, hull them, and cut into wedges (I like to cut each persimmon into 12 pieces).
  3. In a medium bowl, beat together the egg and brown sugar. Coat the persimmons in this mixture. Arrange the fruit in the tart shell with their pointed ends poking up. This makes for a beautiful presentation — when the tart bakes the points will caramelize and toast up attractively.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together the streusel by crumbling together the butter, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt into pea-sized clumps. Sprinkle over the persimmons. Bake until the topping is golden, 40-50 minutes.