Persimmon Smoothie

The persimmon, or "Sharon" fruit, which is actually considered a berry, is often overlooked in the grocery isle because it is fairly unfamiliar to us in South Africa. Recently, at a food festival, I had a slice to taste and was pleasantly surprised. I was hesitant at first, imagining it would taste like a weirdly sweet tomato, but in fact it resembles more of a peach flavour and texture to me. So, I snapped up a few to play with at home.

The soft, sweet flesh of the persimmon lends itself to being blended into a creamy smoothie, so I combined it with a few of my favourite ingredients for a glass of liquid deliciousness.

Ingredients:

2 persimmon fruits
2 bananas
1 cup guava juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 handful cut spinach
1 tsp lemon juice

Remove the calyx from the top of the persimmon, and slice it in half. Using a dessert spoon, scoop out the flesh and place in your blender. The skin is also delicious to eat, I just decided not to use it in the smoothie as it is quite firm and will make the smoothie too chewy. You can use a slice of the skin to garnish your smoothie as I have, and eat the rest while you're waiting for the blender.

Add the rest of your ingredients and blend until it is smooth. Add a little water if you have too many solids and not enough liquids for blending. Pop a slice of the bright orange skin and a few mint leaves on the rim of your glass and serve. Makes enough for two smoothies.