If you're in search of holiday desserts that step outside the traditional apple pie, sweet potato pie, and quintessential pumpkin, you've got to try this Persimmon Butter Tart Recipe for a Thanksgiving pie. It's the perfect tart or pie celebrating deliciously ripe persimmons this time of year.
It offers a fruity twist on the classic pumpkin pie and is one we'll have at our table this holiday season. Scroll down to see how we make it and don't forget to pin or print the recipe card to make this today!
An Alternative to the Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie
This persimmon pie recipe has become one of my favorite new recipes to publish on the blog. You'll love the honeyed notes in the persimmon butter paired with the whipped créme fraîche that offers a deliciously nutty and even tangy accent to this tart. You'll also love how well the whipped créme fraîche holds its structure compared to whipped cream.
I had whipped créme fraîche atop a roast strawberry tart for dessert at The Charter Oak in St. Helena earlier this summer and have since incorporated it as a topping for a number of desserts for summer and early winter fruits. It's a tart surely celebrating the beauty of persimmon season.
The Persimmons We Want for This Recipe
Persimmons come in several distinctive types, each with its own flavor, texture, and best use. This article on Masterclass will highlight the 17 known varieties of persimmons grown. The two most common categories in describing persimmons are astringent and non-astringent varieties.
Astringent persimmons, such as the heart-shaped Hachiya, are higher in tannins and must be fully soft and ripe before eating. When ready, their flesh becomes custard-like, jammy, and very sweet. This makes Hachiya persimmons ideal ideal for baking, making a fruit butter, or eating with a spoon. Non-astringent persimmons, like the squat, tomato-shaped Fuyu, can be eaten while still firm and offer a crisp, mildly sweet flavor similar to an apple.
From the two main types of persimmons, we're using Hachiyas to make the Persimmon Butter that is the base of the custard for our Persimmon Butter Tart. Persimmons are in season through late fall and this fruit butter is my favorite way to preserve their delicious flavor.
What We'll Need to Make This Delicious Seasonal Pie
Persimmon butter crafted from Hachiyas is the star here. When making the fruit butter, it's important to note that the Asian Hachiya persimmon must be fully ripe. To speed along the ripening process for Hachiyas, I like to place them in a paper bag and store in a dark, cool place for a couple days. You want the ideal texture of the Hachiya persimmons to be jammy and almost jelly-like before prepping the fruit butter that we use for the custard in this tart.
A standard custard is then made from an egg, heavy cream, a touch more brown sugar, and pumpkin spice. The tart shell is one I've used for classic pies. It's become my go-to crust recipe that I will post in a forthcoming recipe as a standalone recipe. I'm loving it with the flavor notes from the Sonora Whole Wheat Flour from Farmer Mai (our flour CSA share) which is mixed with all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and an ice water mixture using vanilla bean paste and apple cider vinegar. This helps to create a tender and buttery crust that is perfect for our new favorite dessert.
How to Make This Holiday Pie with Persimmon Puree
Begin with making the fruit butter, which is made from the Hachiya persimmon puree or pulp that's simmered down, low and slow, with a variety of fall spices, sugar, and citrus. This can be made a few days ahead of time.
Preparing the Pie Crust
- To prep the crust, begin by weighing out flours, sugar, salt, butter, and shortening in a medium mixing bowl. Using your hands, work the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients, allowing clumps to begin to form. You should have a loose texture of clumpy sand.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the apple cider vinegar, vanilla bean paste, and ice water. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, spoon in the water mixture. Using your hands, mix the dough together until it forms a loose ball. Using both hands, form the dough into a round disc. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and chill for about 10 minutes.
- Line tart shell with foil and fill with pie weights. We'll blind bake the pie crust for about 15 minutes. This will ensure the bottom isn't soggy to help the custard set. Cooling the shell slightly will help the persimmon mixture for our custard cook evenly.
Making the Custard
- Whisk together the persimmon butter and remaining custard ingredients.
- Pour custard into the slightly cooled tart shell.
- Bake for 1 hour, checking the tart at the 50 minute mark to ensure the center isn’t too wiggly or wet. Depending on oven settings, you may need about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven once center is set.
- Cool completely and allow to set for 4 hours before garnishing with whipped créme fraîche and a dusting of ground cinnamon.
For the whipped créme fraîche, use a hand mixer to whip together the créme fraîche, heavy cream, and maple syrup. Whip until stiff peaks form. Portion into a piping bag fitted with desired large tip design and pipe the whipped topping along the outer edge of the cooled tart.
Helpful Tips and FAQ
Absolutely! If I was backwards planning this I would: prepare persimmon butter about 5 days ahead of Thanksgiving, prep tart shell up to 3 days ahead (including the blind bake), and fill and bake the tart a day ahead of Thanksgiving. Since the tart needs time for custard to set post bake, making this a day ahead would be a good idea.
More Desserts Fit For Your Holiday Table
Persimmon Butter Tart Recipe
Equipment
- 1 tart pan with removable bottom
- 1 hand mixer
- 1 Rolling Pin
- pie weights
Ingredients
Persimmon Butter Custard
- 1 cup prepared Persimmon Butter Recipe Here
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
For the Tart Shell or Pie Crust
- 100 g Sonora Whole Wheat Flour can also use Pastry Flour
- 100 g All Purpose Flour
- 18 g granulated sugar
- 4 g kosher salt
- 114 g unsalted butter
- 34 g vegetable shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ice water
Whipped Créme Fraîche
- 5 ounce créme fraîche
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Position baking rack in center of oven.
- To prep the crust, begin by weighing out flours, sugar, salt, butter, and shortening in a medium mixing bowl. Using your hands, work the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients, allowing clumps to begin to form. You should have a loose texture of clumpy sand.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the apple cider vinegar, vanilla bean paste, and ice water. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon, spoon in the water mixture. Using your hands, mix the dough together until it forms a loose ball. Using both hands, form the dough into a round disc. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
- Roll out dough on a floured work surface and place into your 10-inch tart pan. Use your fingers to shape the tart shell in the pan, pressing the sides into the fluted mold. Use a fork to lightly prick the surface. Line the tart shell with foil and add your pie weights to cover the top. Bake for 15 minutes then remove to cool slightly before removing pie weights. Lower oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the tart shell cools, whisk together the persimmon butter and remaining custard ingredients. Pour custard into the slightly cooled tart shell.
- Bake for 1 hour, checking the tart at the 50 minute mark to ensure the center isn’t too wiggly or wet. Depending on oven settings, you may need about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven once center is set. Cool completely and allow to set for 4 hours before garnishing with whipped créme fraîche and a dusting of ground cinnamon.
- For the whipped créme fraîche, use a hand mixer to whip together the créme fraîche, heavy cream, and maple syrup. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Portion into a piping bag fitted with your desired large tip design and pipe the whipped topping along the outer edge of the cooled tart.
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