“Persinnamon“ Crisps

This recipe couldn’t be simpler. I enjoy adding salty-sweet fruit crisps to picnic spreads because they’re unexpected and round out a menu nicely. Bags of greasy potato chips—sure, people expect that. But a homemade persimmon chip? Not so much. This is the type of DIY recipe that is absolutely worth doing. It’s so easy: just a little slicing and a quick sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and the oven takes it from there. I call for Fuyu persimmons here, as they are firmer and less astringent than Hachiya persimmons, and better suited to recipes like this. They’re also much more readily available. You can swap out the persimmons for apples or pears (“pearcinnamon” chips?) and proceed right along with the recipe. Makes about 4 servings

 

11/2 tsp. sugar

11/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 Fuyu persimmons (not too ripe)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

 

Preheat the oven to 250°F [120°C] and spray two baking sheets lightly with nonstick cooking spray (or use a silicone baking mat). Combine the sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Remove the green leaves from the persimmons and slice them very thin (with a mandoline, if you’ve got it); no need to peel them. Try to keep the slices at a thickness of less than 1/8 in [4 mm]. Toss these slices with the salty cinnamon-sugar mixture and the lemon juice. Lay the seasoned persimmon slices on the baking sheets in a single layer. Bake for 45 minutes, flip, and continue baking until golden brown and crisped, about 30 minutes more. Transfer the persimmon chips to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.