Brûléed Persimmon Tarts with maple cinnamon cream cheese

These persimmon tarts are a fun autumn dessert. It’s full of texture and different flavors to keep your palate entertained.

What’s the difference between Hachiya and Fuyu Persimmon?

There are many varieties of persimmon, but the two most common in the United States are the hachiya and fuyu.

Hachiya:

The hachiya is elongated and acorn shaped. They taste really tart and chalky when firm and unripe. Let them ripen and soften a bit before eating.

When ripe, hachiyas are super sweet and juicy. As a kid, I would freeze them and then slice off the top and eat the inside of the fruit with a spoon like sorbet.

I find that hachiyas are best suited for baking. When soft, you can easily squeeze out the pulp and mix it into batters.

Fuyu:

I used the fuyu for this recipe. The fuyu is much smaller and flatter than the hachiya.  

Fuyu persimmon sort of resembles a tomato or a doughnut peach.  The fuyu is a little less intimidating to those new to the fruit.  They’re great to eat raw. It’s texture is a like a crisp apple.

The fuyu is best eaten while it is still firm. I like to peel the skin and quarter the fruit into wedges. I rarely use fuyu for cooking. I find it’s better for snacking and salads.

Brûléed Persimmon Tarts

I was happy with the oat crust from my chocolate peanut butter oat tart, that I slightly adapted it for use here.  I used these 4.75-inch tart pans.  They’re nonstick with removable bottoms, making them a breeze to unmold any tart.

In general, I’ve found that crusts for 9-inch fluted tarts translates well to fit four of these 4.75-inch tart pans.

After baking the oat crust, let it cool to room temperature. Once it’s cool to the touch, fill the oat crust with maple cinnamon cream cheese.

I thinly sliced some ripe fuyu persimmons and arranged them on top of the filled tarts.

You can cover the entire tart with persimmons, but I like the excitement of being able to see the filling.

Right before serving, sprinkle superfine (or regular granulated) sugar over the persimmon slices and tart filling. Using a kitchen torch, brûlée the top of the tart, making sure not to burn the crust.

Enjoy immediately!

These persimmon tarts are a fun autumn dessert. It’s full of texture and different flavors to keep your palate entertained.

The crust is crunchy and delightful, the maple cinnamon cream cheese is warm and comforting, and the brûléed persimmon slices give the slightest hint of bitterness and a whole lot of sophistication.

Servings: 4 4.75-inch tarts

Ingredients

Graham Oat Crunch:

• 1 cup rolled oats (old fashioned oats)
• 6 full graham cracker sheets
• 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese:

• 12 oz cream cheese, softened, room temp
• 2 Tablespoon dark maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings:

• thinly sliced Fuyu persimmons
• superfine or granulated sugar, for topping

Instructions 

Graham Oat Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor, barely pulse together rolled oats, graham crackers, sugar, and salt. You do not want to end up with oat flour. Pulse just until the rolled oats are somewhat broken up. Add in melted butter and stir until mixture comes together. Press into four small tart pans with removable bottom.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until crust is set and golden brown. Crust may slightly puff up during baking. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to gently press crust into shell. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese:

• Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and sea salt. Mix until smooth. Adjust thickness by adding additional powdered sugar a couple tablespoons at a time until desired sweetness/thickness is achieved.

Assembly:

• Fill cooled graham oat crusts with maple cinnamon cream cheese. Spread into an even layer. Arrange sliced persimmons on top of cream cheese. Keep chilled until ready to use. Before serving, generously sprinkle sugar over persimmon and cream cheese. Use a kitchen torch to brûlée the sugar, being careful not to burn the crust. Serve immediately.

By  @littleepicurean