Roasted Pork and Persimmons

I have just stumbled upon a most delightful fruit, the persimmon.

I was totally unfamiliar with them and saw them in the grocery store and thought, why not?  I should give these weird tomato-looking things a try.  

Persimmons are widely available September through December, with a peak during November.

Choose persimmons with deep red undertones. Look for persimmons that are round, plump, and have glossy and smooth skin. Avoid fruits with blemishes, bruises or cracked skin and missing the green leaves at the top. Select ripe persimmons only if you plan to eat them immediately. Otherwise, buy firmer fruits and allow them to ripen.

Ripen persimmons at room temperature in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Store them in the refrigerator when ripe. Be sure to eat the fruit as soon as possible because overripe persimmons quickly turn to a mushy texture.

Ripe Fuyu persimmons, which look kind of like flattened tomatoes, will be crisp, while the acorn-shaped Hachiyas will be very soft and juicy.

Unripe Hachiya persimmons taste very bitter and will suck all the moisture from your mouth — not very pleasant. The tartness will go away as the fruit ripens.

They kind of have a texture like apples and are sweet.  I thought they would be a nice compliment to pork.

Ingredients:

pork tenderloin

4 ripe persimmons

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

white wine

Directions:

Cut off stem of persimmon and peel and quarter the fruit.  Put in bottom of slow cooker and just cover with white wine. 

Put pork on top and cover with all spices.

Place a layer of aluminum foil over pork and then put lid on top.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Pork should shred up and persimmons should cook down into a nice sauce to serve with the meat.