I was at the grocery store (an almost daily occurrence) and noticed that persimmon is totally having a moment. Like, marketing people gone buck-wild, kind of moment. Persimmon is the new kale? Well, maybe not, but there sure is a lot of it out there. It does have a short season, though, so if it’s not already gone, it will be shortly…at which point you’ll have to save this recipe for next year. That’s asking a lot…I suppose that’s why you’ve got Pinterest.
Wanting to jump on the persimmon bandwagon, I thought it would make sense in a panzanella. Traditionally, panzanella is pieces of stale crusty bread tossed in dressing with tomatoes and basil. Since I picked up sweet persimmon at my grocery store, I ventured into a sweeter style of panzanella, using corn bread and mint.
I switched on the camera so you can follow the recipe step by step, though try not to shoot yourself with the dressing like I did. Enjoy the video and the full printable recipe is posted below.
*Original Recipe by Joanie Simon (JoanieSimon.com)
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Panzanella with Persimmon
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
A sweeter take on panzanella with persimmon.
Ingredients
- 1 – 9x9 prepared cornbread
- 3 ripe sweet persimmon, chopped
- 8 oz aged cheddar, cubed
- 1/4 cup mint, chiffonade
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs whole grain mustard
- 1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 cup oil (EVOO or grapeseed)
Instructions
- Cut the cornbread up into 1 inch cubes and spread out over a baking sheet.
- Bake cubes in a 300F oven for 10 minutes.
- Rotate cubes and continue baking another 5 minutes until cubes are slightly crisped on the outside.
- Place cornbread, persimmon, cheddar and mint in a mixing bowl.
- Combine garlic, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt and oil together in a jar. Cover the jar and shake to emulsify.
- Drizzle dressing all over the bread salad. Toss and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the dressing to soak into the bread.
- Serve garnished with extra mint and shaved parmesan cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Italian
