Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Pomegranate Persimmon Salad, and How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds




So today I am going to tell you about a salad that has two of my favorite full-bodied fall fruits (try saying that five times fast!).  But first, lets get some formalities out of the way.


Project Food Blog is still going strong, and in fact, voting for Round #7 is currently underway!  And what kind of dedicated gal would I be if I didn't make absolutely sure that you got to see my video entry for this round.  Have you seen it yet?  I hope so, but if not, be sure to check out my original post, or go directly to the Foodbuzz website (where you can vote for me, wink wink).  I made a delicious dessert for you and tied it all up with a pretty bow, and I hope you enjoy it.  If you like it, don't forget to vote for my entry!  Voting is open through Thursday, Nov.18th, 6pm PST, and I truly appreciate ALL your support. 




Now then, shall we get on to this salad?


This salad is extremely easy to make with just a few seasonal ingredients such as pomegranates and persimmons.  Pomegranates are an amazing fall fruit, and their health benefits are extraordinary; they are a rich source of B vitamins as well as vitamin C, and their seeds contain extra fiber and also heathy oils.  But about those seeds... it seems many people are in a quandary over how to actually get the seeds out of the pomegranate without looking like they were the victim in bad horror movie.  Pomegranate seeds have a lot of juice, and when you open it up and try to remove the seeds it gets everywhere!  So let me show you an easy, mess-free way to remove the seeds from a fresh pomegranate.








See, wasn't that easy?  I hope that quick demo will encourage you to go out and buy a fresh pomegranate to reap all its health benefits and its fantastic taste.  And just so that you know, once you remove the seeds from a fresh pomegranate, if you keep them refrigerated in an airtight container, you can enjoy those little jewels over the course of several days. 






Next, my salad has persimmons, specifically the Fuyu variety.  If you have never tried a persimmon, I urge you, I compel you, to get out there and try one.  Their flavor can be light and barely sweet, and as they ripen, it becomes lush and rich.  I tried a persimmon for the first time when I was in Australia, and I still hold on to that memory!  You can eat a persimmon just like an apple, or you can slice it up in salads, and it can be easily cooked.  One of the things I especially love about persimmons, is that there is no core or seed that is inedible, so you can nom nom on the entire thing.  




For this particular salad, the Fuyu persimmons are fantastic because they are almost non-astringent.  Um, what does that mean?  Well, they don't have as much tannins as many other fruits.  What, you say I still speaking gibberish?  Astringency = tannins = that puckering feeling in your mouth when you drink red wine or tea, or when you eat pomegranates or cranberries.  Now do you know what I am talking about?  So, long story short, Fuyu persimmons and pomegranates can be best friends because opposites attract.   



And oh yeah, I wanted this to be a more filling salad, so I thought I would add a little chicken to the mix.  Voila!  A healthy, beautiful, fall salad.  




Oh I almost forgot the dressing!  We can't have a naked salad, can we?  The dressing I made was also simple, with some POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, a little red wine vinegar, lemon oil, honey for sweetness, and some salt and pepper.  A easy dressing for an easy salad, with a light flavor that would not overpower the delicious fruits.  I mixed it all together, gave it a quick swirl with my adorable mini egg man whisk (I couldn't resist posting this), and I even put it all in a portable container so I could take the dressing and salad to work. 




Because sure, I plated this out and took pretty pictures for eye candy, but this was really my lunch today.  And it was delicious. 






Pomegranate and Persimmon Salad
In the fall, you should be able to find pomegranates and persimmons in well stocked grocery stores, but you are more likely to find them at farmers markets (and the quality of the fruit will be better as well!).  I know that Trader Joe's also sells packaged pomegranate seeds that have already been removed from the fruit, if you want an easier option.  The salad ingredients I am listing here made a large lunch-style salad for one (me, of course), but would probably serve two as a first course for dinner.  


About 3 cups mixed greens
1 large persimmon, top removed and sliced thinly
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
3-4 chicken tenders; seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked, and then diced


Pomegranate Honey Dressing:
2 tbsp POM wonderful or pomegranate juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tsp lemon oil (or fruity extra virgin olive oil)  
About 3 tsp clover honey (or to taste for sweetness)
Salt and pepper       


Toss all the ingredients together for the salad, or divide the greens, persimmon, pomegranate and chicken between two bowls.  To make dressing, whisk all ingredients together, and then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add dressing to salad and eat immediately. 

46 comments:

  1. Yum! Fresh pomegranates are one of my very favorites! Beautiful Fall salad!

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  2. Great tip. I usually just bang the back of them with a wooden spoon but you do get splashes of pomegranate juice EVERYWHERE so this seems a much less messy method. Thanks.

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  3. Great tip and love the demo. I love contrast in flavors that fresh pomegranate gives to dishes. Would have loved to have this for lunch

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  4. a boost of vitamins and colors

    voted for you, hope to see you at round #8

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  5. the dressing and the persimmons: it all sounds delightful and perfect colors for a Thanksgiving table :)

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  6. Fabulous salad. I would so love some of that. Delicious flavor mix.

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  7. Pomegranite seeds on salads are so wonderful--I love the texture they add, and the sweet n' tart flavor.

    Good luck as you keep working toward Project Food Blog--you're rocking!

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  8. Yum this salad looks so good. I'm definitely going to be making this. This would be such a great salad to serve at Thanksgiving!

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  9. Thank you, I have avoided pomegranates because I thought it was too much trouble, you have opened my eyes!

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  10. Well hello there! Another video! My g-ma sent me a 20lb box of persimmons, that unfortunately got confiscated by my local postmaster, claiming she was not authorized to be sending fresh fruit through the mail. WTF?! So sad. I'll just have to buy some this weekend.

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  11. Most certainly eye candy, what an awesome salad - almost...almost to gorgeous to eat!

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  12. Very nice!! I also just did a video how to de-seed a pomegranate as well, using water really does help a lot. I can't get enough of that stuff!

    http://globetrotterdiaries.com/tips-techniques-tidbits/how-to-deseed-a-pomegranate-in-seconds-the-art-of-eating-pomegranate-seeds

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  13. Awwww, that looks really lovely. What a beautiful salad and must be yummy too. Loved the video.

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  14. I just found your blog. Wow, you're photos and recipes look amazing. Can't wait to see what else you do.

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  15. Nicely done!!! You are putting your new video skills to good use.
    I remember a girl from middle school who always brought pomegranates for lunch and would sit there and patiently dig out the seeds. It was always too much work for me, so I was thrilled when I learned that my husband loved the fruits and didn't mind seeding them.
    We have been getting some wonderful ones at the Leucadia Farmer's Market the past few weeks!

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  16. They always say the more colorful the food, the healthier it is. So can you imagine what this colorful explosion of flavors must pack quite a healthy wallop! GREG

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  17. I've got a counter full of pomegranates and can't get enough of them. Once I figured out the water trick it's been non stop around here. All the colors in that salad make it look so pretty. Even non salad eaters would be tempted to eat it all up.

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  18. Love your blog! I've selected you for a Blogger Award. You can accept it at http://christinaannelucas.blogspot.com/p/about-l.html

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  19. Great tip! I've never heard of this method to remove seeds before.

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  20. I love POM, but it is tricky to handle, and also pretty expensive. I stock up when they're on sale though! :-)

    So that is a really easy way to get the seeds out. I need to remember that...and your salad is serious eye candy, and I don't usually say that for salads. Hee hee.

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  21. This is such a gorgeous colorful and festive salad! Love the pomegranates! Wishing you good luck with PFB!

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  22. I bought a pomegranate the other day and will use the method from your demo to remove the seeds! I've been wanting to try persimmons, but the ones at the store right now don't look so great, and they must not be grown around here. Will keep looking. Lovely salad!

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  23. Congratulations on advancing to the next round!! Your salad looks delicious. The video is great and very helpful, thanks.

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  24. Great tip on the pomegranates, A! :-) I never buy them whole because their obstinacy intimidates me. I can also recommend another easy way to get pomegranate seeds for people like me....I've seen pre-de-fruited seeds at Costco recently! ;-)

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  25. P.S. Did you know your videos don't show up on your main blog page? At least that's the case on my mac browsers. I can see the videos when I click the link for the individual post, but not on your front blog page. Just FYI, thought you'd like to know :-)

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  26. This salad looks great! I have always been a bit intimidated by pomegranates. I need to try cutting them again! Thanks for the tip! :)

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  27. Beautiful photos, and two of my favorite seasonal fruits, especially persimmons.

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  28. Beautiful salad, love the color contrasts...and I do love persimmons :)
    Great tutorial too...

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  29. شركة تنظيف بالطائف
    النظافة والصحة يرتبطان بعلاقة طردية فكلما اهتممنا بنظافتنا الشخصية ونظافة منازلنا ومكاتبنا وأماكن تواجدنا أو البيئة المحيطة بنا أيا كانت ، أدى ذلك إلى تمتعنا وتمتع من حولنا بصحة جيدة سليمة مع العيش بذهن صافى خالي من التوتر ، فوجودنا في بيئة نظيفة صحية مرتبة خالية من الأتربة والجراثيم يهيئ لنا جو من الهدوء والتوازن النفسي فيساعدنا على الإنتاج والتمتع بحياتنا . شركة تنظيف منازل بالطائف
    ولذا فأن شركتكم شركة تنظيف بالرياض توفر لكم كل هذا وأكثر وتحقق لكم ما تحلمون به من التمتع بمكان جميل ونظيف وصحى . شركة تنظيف شقق بالطائف
    ونتيجة كثرة وجود شركات للتنظيف وحيرة الكثيرين من أيها أفضل فى تقديم خدمات تنظيف عالية الجودة وبأسعار مناسبة ، فشركة تنظيف بالرياض تضمن لكم تقديم أفضل الخدمات بأفضل الوسائل بأرخص الأسعار وتعرض لكم ما تقدمه من خدمات تحتاجونها في نظافة منازلكم ومكاتبكم وأماكن تواجدكم . شركة تنظيف خزانات بالطائف

    فشركة تنظيف بالرياض تمتلك ما يجعلها رائدة في مجال تنظيف الشقق والمنازل والفلل والقصور والمكاتب وغيرها .
    ومهما كانت المساحة التي تعيشون بها فهي قادرة على إزالة جميع الأوساخ والأتربة والوصول لكافة أرجاء المكان والتخلص من أى جراثيم قد تنتج من عدم نظافة المكان . شركة نظافه بالطائف

    وتعمل شركة تنظيف بالرياض على توفير العمالة المناسبة لكل مكان وكل ما يحتويه من أثاث ومفروشات وسجاجيد وحمامات ومسابح وكنب وغيرها مما يحتويه المكان الذى تريدون تنظيفه
    شركة تنظيف مسابح بالطائف

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  30. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  31. Thanks for sharing such beautiful information with us. I hope you will share some more information about pomegranate. Please keep sharing.
    Health Is A Life

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