Nici Wickes: Persimmon Salad

This beautiful fruit is in abundance right now, and it’s a great ingredient to work with given it lends itself to both sweet and savoury dishes. Often paired with blue cheese, I recently enjoyed it at a fab restaurant in Wellington, High Water on Cuba St, where they paired it with fresh burrata. This is my version of that dish. 

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons currants, soaked in boiling water to plump
1 firm persimmon, sliced very thinly (I used a mandolin)
100g burrata or fresh mozzarella or cottage cheese
Small handful of toasted hazelnuts
Honey, pomegranate molasses, balsamic vinegar or vincotto

Dressing: 

2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Whisk up the dressing in a little bowl. 

Method:

Choose your favourite plate and dollop some of whatever cheese you’re using around it in spoonfuls or torn pieces. Cover these with the thin slices of persimmon. Drizzle over the dressing, scatter over the currants and hazelnuts. Add a final flourish of whatever you’re using, the honey, molasses etc. 

Eat quietly and reverently. 

Note: Vincotto is a beautiful, fruity, tangy viscous vinegar 

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