Vegan Persimmon Ice Cream with Pom Pops
Serves: 4-6
Late November, early December, is when the prettiest fruits make it onto the scene. Vibrant orange persimmons and super red pomegranate seeds are flooding the markets. This year I learned about pink Pomegranates from the Santa Monica Farmers’ market. The seeds are a light pinkish yellow and are a bit sweeter, and not as tart as red Pomegranate seeds. It inspired me to make this “ice cream” spiked with orange juice and lime juice and topped with both colors of seeds. Not only is this a super healthy, immune boosting dessert, it’s a gift to the eyes.
Note: There are two types of persimmons: one that is round like a tomato, called Fuyu, and the other that is oblong, and comes to a point, called Hachiya. We use Hachiya Persimmons for sorbet because as they ripen, they become very soft, and have a pudding-like texture; perfect for freezing, and eaten like a sorbet.
Late November, early December, is when the prettiest fruits make it onto the scene. Vibrant orange persimmons and super red pomegranate seeds are flooding the markets. This year I learned about pink Pomegranates from the Santa Monica Farmers’ market. The seeds are a light pinkish yellow and are a bit sweeter, and not as tart as red Pomegranate seeds. It inspired me to make this “ice cream” spiked with orange juice and lime juice and topped with both colors of seeds. Not only is this a super healthy, immune boosting dessert, it’s a gift to the eyes.
Note: There are two types of persimmons: one that is round like a tomato, called Fuyu, and the other that is oblong, and comes to a point, called Hachiya. We use Hachiya Persimmons for sorbet because as they ripen, they become very soft, and have a pudding-like texture; perfect for freezing, and eaten like a sorbet.
Ingredients
- 3 Hachiya persimmons
- 3 medium sized ripe bananas (sliced into ¼-inch pieces and frozen)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, or more to taste
- ½ cup red pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup pink pomegranate seeds (or use all red if you can’t find the pink)
Directions
- Prepare the persimmons: pull out the leafy stem, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place the flesh in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the frozen banana slices to the persimmon flesh, along with lime juice and orange juice. Blend until very smooth. Give it a taste, adding more orange juice for sweetness and lime juice for tartness. (I like mine more tart as it brings out the sweetness of the persimmon).
- Freeze the mixture in a rectangular pyrex dish. After about an hour, scrape with a fork. Every 30 minutes or so, scrape again until the mixture is completely frozen.
Remove the mixture from the freezer. If it is too hard to scoop, let it sit for 20 minutes. In the meantime place a few pomegranate seeds at the bottom of each serving dish. When ready to serve, use an ice cream scoop to make rounded balls and place on top of the seeds. Sprinkle more seeds to garnish, and serve.
