Persimmon tarts are a fun autumn dessert. It’s full of texture and different flavors to keep your palate entertained. Crunchy graham cracker crust filled with cinnamon maple cream cheese and topped with thinly sliced Fuyu persimmons.
Just when I thought summer was over… LA gets another heatwave. Luckily, my dad’s garden doesn’t care about the weather.
Like clockwork, no matter how hot or cold is it, every September his persimmon trees begin bearing fruit. Lots and lots of fruit. Which makes me very, very happy.
I love persimmons. I prefer to eat them raw, but when you have more than you can eat, it’s time to bake with them.
Ingredients
These persimmon tarts have three components: 1) graham cracker oatmeal crust, 2) maple cinnamon cream cheese filling, and 3) sliced fuyu persimmon topping.
The oat crust is adapted from this chocolate peanut butter oat tart. It’s a mixture of old fashioned oats, graham cracker crumbs, and butter. I recommend using these 4.75-inch tart pans. They’re nonstick with removable bottoms, making them a breeze to unmold any tart. Alternatively, use the pâte brisée pastry crust from creme brulee tarts.
For best results, use brick-style full-fat cream cheese to make the filling. Flavor it with dark maple syrup and ground cinnamon. Honey is great alternative to maple syrup. It pairs wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients.
Hachiya versus 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.
- Hachiyas are best suited for baking. When soft, you can easily squeeze out the pulp and mix it into batters.
Fuyu
- Fuyu works best 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.
Tart Assembly
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.
Persimmon Recipes
- Persimmon Walnut Cake
- Persimmon Pecan Bread
- Autumn Persimmon Arugula Pasta
- Coconut Persimmon Shortcake
Brûléed Persimmon Tarts with Maple Cream Cheese
Ingredients
Graham Oat Crunch:
- 1 cup rolled oats, (90 g), also called old fashioned oats
- 6 full graham cracker sheets
- 2 Tablespoon granulated sugar, (25 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 Tablespoon unsalted butter,, (100 g) melted and cooled
Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese:
- 1 ½ cup brick style cream cheese, (340 g) softened, room temp
- 2 Tablespoon dark maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar, (170 g), also called confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Toppings:
- thinly sliced Fuyu persimmons, as needed
- superfine or granulated sugar, , for topping
Instructions
Graham Oat Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350℉. 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.
Notes
- The fuyu is much smaller and flatter than the hachiya. It is little less intimidating to those new to the fruit. They’re great to eat raw, texture is a like a crisp apple.
- The fuyu is best eaten while it is still firm. Peel the skin and quarter the fruit into wedges. I rarely use fuyu for cooking. It is better for snacking and salads.
- 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. I find that hachiyas are best suited for baking. When soft, you can easily squeeze out the pulp and mix it into batters.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Do you wait until the crusts are totally cooled down before removing them from the tart pans? I have only 4 small tart pans but I want to make 12 of these. Also, do you find that you have a lot of leftover cream cheese filling? I’m trying to gauge if I need to also make 3 batches of cream cheese. Thank you!
The crust will be more sturdy and easier to unmold once it has cooled down. It may crumble and fall apart if you try to unmold it while hot. You could also use the shortbread crust from this strawberry tart. It can be baked 2 to 3 days in advance before serving.
There was a little bit of filling left over. I would double the cream cheese recipe and serve the dish with more persimmon.
Hope that helps!
Persimmon in the UK are known as Sharon fruit.