The Persimmon Salad

This salad recipe comes from a long time friend, Becky who has hosted the annual holiday party for our women's group for the past few years. I had never eaten a persimmon salad before. I had eaten persimmons fresh, in cakes and baked goods, jams and preserves, but never in a salad. This salad has a lot going on with really very few ingredients and none too exotic. I don't know it's origins, ethnicity or from which culture it came. I believe Becky said it came from a Sunset magazine article. During last year's party she served it using walnuts instead of pecans and walnut oil in the dressing. It maters not where it came. It's a great salad.

Fuyu persimmons are available from fall through most of the winter. Pick pale orange ones that are firm to the touch, the dark more red ones are more mushy and not as good in a salad.
Enjoy!

Persimmon Salad

(as served at Yolanda's holiday party for the Latin Va girls)

Ingredients

7 Fuyu persimmons
1 Bunch cilantro
1/2 Pomegranate
2 Limes
3 Tablespoons Avocado oil (or Olive oil)
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Roasted Pecans (toast in a hot dry skillet until fragrant)
1 Head of Romaine lettuce

Method

Peel and cut the tops off the persimmons. Cut into bite size pieces. Put into a large bowl.

Wash and dry the cilantro. Remove the leaves and chop fine. Sprinkle it over the persimmons in the bowl.

In a bowl of water, cut the pomegranate in half and gently pull it apart and remove the seeds from one half. Remove any white membrane from between the seeds. Collect the seeds, place on a paper towel to drain a bit and then put them in the bowl as well.

Squeeze the lime juice into a small bowl and then add the cumin, Cayenne, salt and oil. Whisk with a fork.

Pour the dressing over the persimmons and gently mix well with a large spoon. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Core the head of Romaine lettuce and cut into bite size pieces. Chop the toasted pecans into small bits.

Serving

Line a serving bowl with the Romaine lettuce, spoon the salad over the greens, garnish with the chopped pecans.

Slow dinner not slow enough?

The fund raising dinner at Campanile on Sunday night was a rousing success. I believe a lot of money was raised for the Slow Food event in San Francisco in May of 2008.
Two wines, a Pinot Gris as well as a Riesling were poured freely in the fountain entry and the appetizers were passed by tray by the waitstaff who were eager to please. But this didn't seem slow at all to me. It was a press opportunity for some. Alice Waters and Suzanne Goin were hosting questions and being as personable and homey as possible in such a see-and-be-scene town.
For a minimum of $250 per person, guests were romanced by the grilling virtuosity of Mark Peel (found him out front nursing the lamb legs, we remembered him, not so much on his side...), and the seasonal genius of Alice Waters.
She spoke before we were served our main course. For quite a while she spoke. It was inspirational and very informative to people like my husband who have only heard one person espouse the virtues of eating locally and consciously. For me, it was preaching to the choir. I needed a pep talk about how to make Los Angeles county as foodie friendly and as in touch with American culinary heritage as places like San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and Temecula.
I had a great dinner. I was happy to participate. But I was craving more. It just wasn't slow enough for me. Maybe I was wrong to expect that?

Potted Shrimp from Brandy and Randy's Wedding

Our new neighbors were married last summer and they invited everyone on our block. The ceremony and celebration were as small town quiant as this beachside suburb of Los Angeles could muster. Guests were asked to bring a favorite dish and to fill out a card explaining what you brought and why. The cards were kept by the newlyweds as a fabulous memento of the pot luck feast created by their new neighbors.

I made Potted Shrimp. It's not one of my specialties, but when I thought about a summer wedding, I wanted something just fancy enough to be celebratory but simple enough to be eaten with one hand. I also had a few pounds of shrimp in the freezer which helped influence my decision! I looked around online and in a few cookbooks but ultimately I came up with my own recipe.

This got rave reviews from everyone. Enjoy!

Culinary Vixen

Potted Shrimp

(makes approximately 2 cups)

Recipe by Vickie McCorkendale

Ingredients

½ C minced shallots
4 oz. (1 cube) butter (divided), at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch Mace
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
½ teaspoon Emeril’s Essence or other Cajun Spice Mix
2 Tablespoons Brandy
1 lb shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined (you may use frozen or fresh, crayfish work well too).
2 Tablespoons chopped chives


Method

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of butter. When the butter melts, add the shallots and cook slowly until tender.

Put the remaining butter, the cream cheese and the lemon juice into a bowl (or bowl of a standing mixer). Mix on low speed to combine.

Add the garlic, mace, cayenne and spice mix to the shallots. Cook for one minute until fragrant. Add the brandy and cook until almost no liquid remains in the pan. Turn the heat up a bit and add the shrimp. Sauté until they are just cooked and bright pink on both sides, about 3 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from the pan to a cutting board with tongs. Chop well to desired consistency. Add the shrimp and the contents of the pan to the cream cheese and butter. Add the chives. Mix on low until thoroughly combined.

Put mixture in a serving bowl or crock and chill for at least 3 hours.

Serve with croutons (recipe below).



Garlic Croutons

Makes approximately 20 slices

Recipe by Vickie McCorkendale

Ingredients

1 baguette
2 oz. butter (1/2 cube)
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic minced
Pinch of salt

Method

Slice the baguette into 1/3” slices. Place onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Preheat the oven to 375F.

Put the butter, olive oil and garlic into a small bowl. Heat in the microwave for approximately 30 seconds until butter just melts. Add the salt.

Using a pastry brush, paint the mixture onto the top sides of the bread slices.

Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them. You want them toasted, but not completely brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool.