ScarlettPersimmon and Ginger Punch
November 20th 2007 10:32
Persimmon and Ginger Punch
About Persimmon and Ginger Punch
This non-alcoholic punch is a popular dessert in Korea. The sweetness of the dried persimmons is matched by the sharpness of the cinnamon, and the dish has a refreshing fruit kick that makes it the perfect way to finish a spicy meal.
About Punch
Punch is a general term for any of a wide assortment of mixed drinks, either soft or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice.
The word “punch” is a loanword from Hindi. The original drink was named panch, which is Hindi for five, and the drink was made from five different ingredients: arrack, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. This name was adopted by the sailors of the British East India Company and brought back to England, and from there it was introduced into other European countries.
The term “punch” was first recorded in British documents dating back to 1632. At that time, most punches were of Wassail type, or with a wine or brandy base, but by around 1655, when Jamaica came out with rum, the ‘modern’ punch was born, and, by 1671, there are references to punch houses.
“Cups” are another type of punch. An English tradition, served before the departure of a hunting party, but today are served at a variety of social events such as garden parties, cricket and tennis matches and at picnics. Cups are generally lower in alcohol to punches and usually have wine, cider, sloe gin, or other low alcohol liqueur as the base, and often include quantities of fruit juices and/or soft drinks.
About Persimmon
A Persimmon is any of a number of species of trees of the genus Diospyros, and the edible fruit borne by them. The word persimmon is dervied from putchamin, pasiminan, or pessamin, from Cree, an Algonquian language of the eastern United States, meaning “a dry fruit”. Persimmons are generally light yellow-orange to dark red-orange in colour, and depending on the species, vary in size from 1.5 - 9cm / 0.5 – 4in diameter, and may be spherical, acorn-, or pumpkin-shaped. The calyx often remains attached to the fruit after harvesting, but becomes easier to remove as it ripens. The are high in glucose, with a balanced protein profile, and possess various medicinal and chemical uses.
Commercially, there are generally two types of persimmon fruit; astringent and non-astringent. Astringent persimmons contain very high levels of soluble tannins and are unpalatable if eaten before ripening. The astringency of tannins is removed by ripening by exposure to light over several days, or artificially with chemicals. The bletting process is sometimes jumpstarted by exposing the fruit to cold or frost which hastens cellular wall breakdown. These astringent persimmons can also be prepared for commercial purposes by drying.
Non-astringent persimmons are not actually free of tannins as the term suggests, but rather are far less astringent before ripening, and lose more of their tannic quality sooner. Non-astringent persimmons may be consumed when still very firm to very very soft.
About Ginger
Ginger is the common name for the monocotyledonous perennial plant Zingiber officinale. The term is also used to describe the edible part of the plant which is commonly used as a spice in cooking throughout the world. Often erroneously referred to as “ginger root”, the edible section is actually the horizontal subterranean stem or rhizome of the plant. The ginger plant has a long history of cultivation known to originate in China and then spread to India, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and the Caribbean.
Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added.
Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice I Chinese cuisine to flavour dishes such as seafood or mutton.
Ginger is also made into candy and used as a flavouring for cookies, crackers and cake, and is the main flavour in ginger ale – a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but somewhat spicier beverage ginger beer. A ginger flavoured wine produced in the United Kingdom by Crabbie’s and Stone’s and traditionally sold in a green glass bottle. Ginger is also used as a spice added to hot coffee and tea.
Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to add spiciness to gingerbread and other recipes. Ground and fresh ginger taste quite different and ground ginger is a particularly poor substitute for fresh ginger. Fresh ginger can be successfully substituted for ground ginger and should be done at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground. You generally achieve better results by substituting only half the ground ginger for fresh ginger.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
12 dried persimmons
12 walnuts
150 gm / 5 oz fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
450 gm / 1 lb / 2 cups light muscovado brown sugar
30 ml / 2 tablespoons syrup or golden (light corn) syrup
30 pine nuts
1. Seed the dried persimmons and soak them in cold water until they have softened. Then make an incision into the centre of each, and stuff each one with a walnut. Set aside.
2. Pour 1 litre / 1¾ pints / 4 cups water into a pan and add the ginger and cinnamon stick.
3. Place over a low heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until the water has taken on the flavur of the ginger and cinnamon. When the liquid has reduced by a fifth to a quarter, strain it through muslin (cheesecloth) into a jug (pitcher).
4. Pour the liquid back into the pan, add the sugar and maple or golden syrup and then bring to the boil again.
5. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator.
6. Place three persimmons in a small serving bowl for each person, and pour over the chilled liquid.
7. Decorate with a sprinkling of pine nuts, and serve.
**From “Korean Cooking” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I'm not a huge fan of ginger, but this sounds delicious
Tracy
Comment by Anonymous
this sounds yummy.
Thank you!