Of all the last autumn living fruits, the persimmon is perhaps the brightest. She keeps a tart sweetness in herself, as is probably typical of all autumn gifts and memories. Although everyone, of course, they have their own.
Lena and Zhenya, most likely, lingered too long in their unhappy marriages. But alone to start a new life did not have enough strength or determination. Another thing is the two. Their joint future then seemed still unclear, but they helped each other to end the bleak family present. And after exhausting divorce proceedings, endless showdowns with ex-husband and wife, and settling everyday problems, they went to the sea. The holiday season was already over, but they didn’t care much. They just wanted to leave Moscow, turn off their phones and be alone. And nothing more.
– Where do you want? Zhenya asked.
“To the moon,” Lena answered after thinking. – Can?
– Why not? We will organize it, – Zhenya promised and bought tickets to Pitsunda.
At the airport and on the plane, Moscow problems still surfaced, tossing and turning somewhere inside and evoking sad thoughts. But as soon as they got into the car, everything began to change on the winding mountain road to Pitsunda. Delicate autumn warmth, delicious southern smells, the sea on the horizon, and nearly fallen trees in the gardens along the road, strewn with ripe, impossibly bright persimmons in the rays of the evening sun…
She glowed! – later, after returning, the unrecognizable Lena told her friends. – Like Christmas balls with a candle inside! An incredible sight! I even wanted to cry…
“Why cry, woman? – with an Abkhazian accent, Zhenya, who was also unlike himself, asked. – Let’s rejoice.
But he also agreed that the state was blissful and lyrical and poetic.
– And there is something to please from the fruits of creative inspiration? – we came up.
– And then! Zhenya responded readily. – Here, for example: “Go to the bins, there is a delicious persimmon.” Or: “On the eve of winter, we stocked up persimmons for ourselves.” Or like this: “Lena-Lena, you yourself are like a beautiful persimmon.”
… The hostess of the house in which they stayed immediately caught their new mood.
– Lovers? she said matter-of-factly.
“Of course,” Zhenya admitted. But now in a good sense of the word.
Ten years have passed since then. And every year at the beginning of November, Lena buys a box of Abkhazian persimmons at the market and spreads them all over the house. Yummy. Nice. And I really want to remember Pitsunda, warm autumn and myself at the moment when they suddenly wanted to be happy. And they did it.
Terrine of foie gras with persimmon
For 8 persons. Cooking time: 30 minutes.
- 1,5 kg freshly frozen foie gras
- 300g ripe non-astringent persimmons (e.g. guaranteed not to knit Spanish Persimmon Bouquet)
- 4 leaves of gelatin
- 1 glass of brandy
- salt and white pepper to taste
Rub the persimmon pulp through a sieve and mix with brandy. Soak the gelatin in a small amount of cold water (according to the instructions), when it dissolves, heat in a water bath and add the brandy. Combine the gelatin mixture with pureed persimmons to make a thick fruit puree. Sprinkle 1,5 cm thick slices of thawed foie gras with a mixture of salt and white pepper and fry in a well-heated non-stick pan (half a minute on each side). Alternate layers of foie gras and persimmon puree in a pâté container. Let stand until the dish is completely cool. You can decorate the terrine when serving with slices of fresh persimmon, and put a few drops of balsamic vinegar on the dish.
Brownie with persimmons and walnuts
For 8 people.
Cooking time: 60 minutes.
For marmalade:
- 230 g firm, ripe, non-astringent persimmons
- 180 g sugar
- a few drops of lemon juice
For the dough:
- 25 g butter
- 125 g dark chocolate
- 125 g sugar
- 60 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 80 g persimmon jam
- 1 hours. L. vanilla sugar
- 2 walnuts
For decoration: fresh persimmon
Prepare the marmalade: wash the persimmons, place each in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then immediately transfer to cold water with ice. Peel the fruit from the skin and rub the pulp through a sieve. Drain the separated juice into a glass (you can drink it, you won’t need it). Dissolve 180 g of sugar in the fruit mass with a few drops of lemon juice and simmer until reduced in volume. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C, line a baking dish with parchment paper and grease it with butter. Melt the butter and chocolate in a water bath until smooth, add 125 g of sugar and mix well. Add cooked persimmon marmalade, stir and remove from heat. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and vanilla sugar, slowly add the sifted flour, then mix with the cooled chocolate mass. Pour the whole mixture into a baking dish, place in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
Let the brownie cool and cut into squares. Serve with fresh persimmon balls and vanilla ice cream.