Persimmon Hazelnut Salad with Goat Cheese Croutons

By luisascatering

Luisa Ormonde, an avid Sigona’s shopper and private chef from San Carlos, has sent in a few of her fantastic recipes, such as her recipe for Fresh Saporito Ravioli with Sage Butter & Toasted Walnuts, which we’ve shared with you before. Knowing it’s persimmon time, Luisa submitted the following recipe that you’ll definitely want to try!

I recreated this salad after having it at Harris’ Steak House in San Francisco. Great fall/winter salad when persimmons are in season. – Luisa

For croutons:

• 4 slices white country bread
• melted butter
• fresh soft goat cheese, room temperature

For vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
• 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• white pepper to taste, pinch of kosher salt

Salad:

• Frisee lettuce
• toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• fresh chives
• 2 ripe Fuyu persimmons (not Hachiya)

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside.

Cut bread into 8 circles, using biscuit/cookie cutter. Arrange the bread circles on a baking sheet and lightly brush with butter. Turn the slices over and repeat on the other side. Bake for about 6 minutes, turning the baking sheet around in the oven halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. Bake until the croutons are lightly browned.

Neatly spread goat cheese on each crouton then place back in oven to slightly warm the goat cheese, about 2-3 minutes.

Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, thinly slice the persimmons. Set aside.

To serve: Place a small bundle of Frisee on each plate. Fan out persimmon slices. Top with warm goat cheese croutons and drizzle with orange vinaigrette. Garnish with hazelnuts and chives.

Sigona’s Specials: Nov 4-10, 2009

Robbie Sigona’s Produce Tips: Fuyu Persimmons

Robbie Sigona

Robbie Sigona is our produce buyer.  He works with local farmers and scours the market for the very best in fresh fruits and vegetables — some you won’t find anywhere else.  Say hello when you see him in the store!

• Choose Fuyus that are firm, squat and rounded with a full orange color, close to that of a pumpkin.
• Store Fuyus at room temperature or in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator – unlike most produce, persimmons stored in a refrigerated area (about 40°F) will actually go bad faster than if stored at room temperature.
• After about three weeks, Fuyus will soften (somewhat like the Hachiya) and will have reached their peak sweetness.
• Though Fuyus look heartier than Hachiyas, they can also bruise easily, so handle them with care.

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Fuyu Persimmons:  Simple, Healthy, Delicious.

Persimmons are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and rich in fiber. Also, they’re almost fat free! Here are a few delicious suggestions for Fuyus. Enjoy! – Carmelo Sigona.

• Eat them out of your hand, unpeeled, as you would an apple.
• Toss Fuyus into salads for a hint of fall sweetness. They pair well with spicy or bitter greens like arugula, tossed with pecans and goat cheese.
• Dress up a cheese plate with glowing orange persimmon slices. Selection suggestion: nutty Gruyere, thinly sliced prosciutto, and toasted walnuts.
• Put a new spin on salsa; combine chopped Fuyus with red onion, tomatillos, cilantro, and Serrano chilies.
• Top cold or hot breakfast cereal with persimmon slices or cubes.
• For an autumn salad, mix cubed Fuyu with grapes, pomegranate seeds, cubed apple and sliced kiwi.
• Top hot or cold cereal with little pieces of bright orange Fuyu.
• Salsa is great when chopped Fuyu, onion, tomatillo, cilantro, and chili Serrano are mixed together.
• For another salad option, try roasted beets, sliced Fuyu persimmons, arugula, crumbled goat cheese, and candied pecans drizzled with balsamic vinegar (we recommend a pomegranate-infused balsamic).

Local Vendor Spotlight:  Cook E. Jar & Baking Co.

Amazingly irresistible cookies made in Redwood City by Lois Cobb’s family-run business

Pictured: Sigona's local vendors. Highlighted: Lois Cobb of the Cook E. Jar & Baking Co.

It might seem like we planned it this way, but it’s simply a mere coincidence that Cook E. Jar is featured as a local vendor in this issue. As of today, November 4, 2009, it has been exactly one year since we began selling Lois Cobb’s amazingly irresistible Cook E. Jar cookies! John Sigona, who has known Lois as a Sigona’s customer for more than 20 years, says he remembers the date with ease as it was Election Day.

Lois hold up a tray of delicious peanut butter cookies

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Sigona’s,” said Lois. “I met John the first week they opened their Redwood City store, and transitioning from a customer from a vendor was very smooth. All three of the Sigonas, John, Paul and Carmelo, have always been understanding and wonderful cheerleaders, and I admire their philosophy for running a family business.”

As a child, Lois and her family lived in the Hunter’s Point “housing projects” of San Francisco before they moved to Menlo Park in 1955, but she remembers when her mother and father shopped for groceries at the Wonder Bread bakery which sold discounted day-old goods, resulting in boxes of broken cookies.

“I would seriously scrounge through that big box hoping to find just one cookie that wasn’t broken,” Lois said. “I know you usually break a cookie before you eat it anyway, but there was a novelty behind finding a whole, perfectly round cookie. It was around that time that I started baking cookies for our family and the neighborhood.”

Lois uses a large scoop to get just the right amount of dough into each cookie.

Lois used to watch and help her mother in the kitchen in her childhood home. The recipes she uses for her cookies today started in that same kitchen, too; some are from her mother, others are from her aunt. “It was always hard to get a written recipe from my mother. She was from the South and was an amazing cook – our home always had a wonderful aroma. She would just make up recipes on the spot and never wrote much down.

“I still love spending time cooking with family, just as my mother used to do,” Lois continued. “I especially love spending time in the kitchen with my two grandsons, Jadon and Justus.”

The ingredients used in Cook E. Jar products are sourced as locally as possible. Lois uses Guittard chocolate, which is made in Burlingame, raisins from Eric Schedowith Farms in Fresno, and walnuts which are also sourced from a local farmer. Cook E. Jar currently offers eight different cookie varieties: chocolate chip, chocolate chip & walnuts, double chocolate mocha, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin with walnuts, butter pecan, snickerdoodles and oatmeal-cranberry with white chocolate & pecans. Her favorite? Double chocolate mocha.

“I would gladly take the ‘Pepsi Challenge’ with one of Lois’s chocolate chip cookies paired against someone else’s” said John Nava, specialty foods buyer for Sigona’s. “Lois makes the best soft chocolate chip cookies in the store, they make you want to run and grab a huge glass of milk. In fact, I do that – sometimes I’ll polish off a whole bag in one sitting. They’re soft-baked cookies and you can tell they’re made with love.”

Lois hasn’t always sold her cookies in a retail setting, though now that she looks back she wishes she would have started earlier in life. As resident of East Palo Alto, Lois has always been involved with organizations that benefit the community, such as the American Cancer Society. She was also a consultant for small and non-profit businesses to help increase their revenue. “Now that I’m in my mid-60s I say to myself, ‘oh if I had started [my business] when I was young!’ I’d like to tell young women that if they have passion and a skill, why not just follow that passion,” she said.

The final product!

The Cook E. Jar & Baking Co., which is also a family-run business, is made up of Lois and her husband Jon, their son and daughter-in-law as well as a baking intern. They hope to soon expand their product line to include cakes, pies and cheesecake. As a bonus for you, we’re offering a special pack of two freshly baked Cook E. Jar cookies and two Emmi Caffe Lattes for free from 11/4-11/10/09 with your purchase of $30 or more. Be sure to print out the e-news coupon to redeem this delicious offer!

Farm Focus: Locally Grown Fuyu Persimmons

Come in to learn about and try a sample of how great a Fuyu persimmon tastes when picked just right from a local family farm! Plus, they’re pesticide free!

By Carmelo Sigona

Mr. Fujita of Morgan Hill uses no pesticides on his Fuyu persimmons

You know it’s November when you see those beautiful, bright orange globes of fruit suspended from bare tree branches around town…that means persimmons are here! It’s already that time of year again and we’re pleased to bring you some of the best locally grown and pesticide-free Fuyu persimmons around, and they’re coming directly to us from Mr. Fujita of Morgan Hill – Mr. Fujita, as you may know, is a member of the Sigona’s family:  his daughter Debra is married to Paul!

Persimmon origins have been traced back to Asia, specifically ancient China. They are said to have been introduced to the United States by a in the 1880s when a U.S. Commander brought a native Japanese persimmon variety to Washington, D.C. Persimmons now grow primarily in China, Brazil and Korea, and the majority of the domestic U.S. crops are grown in California. These unique, orange and red skinned fruits are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, and rich in fiber. Also, they’re almost fat free!

As persimmons go, there are two popular and commercially available varieties – the Fuyu and the Hachiya – and it’s important you know the difference. Why? Well, the Fuyu you can eat right away, while if you bite into an unripe Hachiya you’ll probably never eat a persimmon again. An unripe Hachiya has a powerful astringent flavor that is very bitter. It’s best used when ripe, soft and sweet. They’re generally used for baking.

Just last week I was talking to a customer who thought the Fuyu was not ripe because it was hard like an apple, so I took advantage of the situation to point out the difference between the two varieties we carry.
It’s easy to tell the difference between a Fuyu and a Hachiya: the Fuyu is firm, squat and rounded whereas Hachiyas are more soft, heart shaped with a pointed end. You’ll love the sweet flavor and the crunchy, crisp texture of the Fuyu persimmon. Hachiyas, by contrast, are soft and squishy when ripe; eating one is more of a sloppy endeavor. Think of a how a water balloon feels when you gently squeeze it – that is similar to how a ripe Hachiya feels!

When picking out a Fuyu persimmon look for full orange color and be sure they are firm. I suggest storing them at room temperature or in a cool place, but not in the refrigerator – unlike most produce, persimmons stored in a refrigerated area (about 40°F) will actually go bad faster than if stored at room temperature. Overripe Fuyus will lose their crispness.

Fuyu persimmons can be eaten out of hand like an apple or pear, and there is no need to peel them. The texture of Fuyus allows them to be used similarly to apples and pears, such as in a salad or cobblers. They are sturdy enough to be used in stir-fries as well. Fuyus do not darken when cut, so they can be sliced and made part of a vegetable or fruit tray!

A ripe Fuyu has a spicy-sweet flavor that’s all its own. Some have said they taste a hint of brown sugar or have described the Fuyu as tasting like a blend of mango and papaya with an apricot overtone.

Persimmon season typically starts mid-October and extends through December, depending on weather conditions, so be sure to get a taste of them before it’s too late! Mr. Fujita has a wonderful crop this year, and you won’t find pesticide-free Fuyus like his anywhere else (and certainly not at this price!).

Pillar Number 9: Eat to Live a Long and Healthy Life

No one should embark on a weight-loss program by trying to follow a fad diet that cannot be adhered to over the long term. At the same time, aging individuals have to make choices as to what is more important, i.e., ingesting foods that are known to promote weight gain (and cause horrendous diseases) or selecting healthier foods that facilitate weight loss and protect against illness.

There are cautions that should be taken when eating foods cooked at temperatures over 250 degrees. Overcooked foods damage our body’s proteins, while foods cooked at lower temperatures have been shown to facilitate weight loss. So just changing how your foods are prepared could help you shed body fat and, at the same time, protect against age-related disease.

It’s never too late to change one’s lifestyle in a manner that promotes better health while melting away excess body fat.

Champs Elysees Double Creme French Brie with Olallieberry Jam

This is a simple and easy way to enjoy Brie without the hassle of baking.

All you need is a wedge of Champs Elysees French Brie (which you can get for free with your coupon!), 1 package of flatbread crackers and a jar of Sigona’s Olallieberry Jam (which comes with your free Brie!)

Place Brie on a serving platter with a cheese knife or small spreader. Add flatbread crackers to the platter arrange neatly around the wedge. Pour a few tablespoons of jam over the top of the wedge and serve!

Cook’s Note: This also works well with a Brie round. Just increase your ingredients accordingly.