Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits, partly because they always remind me of Thanksgiving. Since their season is so short, I always make a point of making this salad as much as possible while they last. The inspiration for this came from one of my favorite restaurants, Kokkari. I'm not sure I captured their original, but the key to the salad is the cheese. Manouri is a milder, sweeter cousin to feta and worth seeking out. If you can't find it, feta will do, but it's not quite the same. A mild farmer's cheese could also work.
Persimmon and Arugula Salad
Several handfuls of arugula (usually 1 per person)
1-3 Fuyu persimmons (they are the flat kind, not pointy)
Handful of roasted walnuts
Wedge of Manouri cheese
Juice and zest of 1 meyer lemon
1 teaspoon honey
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Peel and slice the persimmons and put them in a salad bowl along with the arugula. Crumble in walnuts as desired.
Zest the lemon. In a smaller bowl, place the lemon zest and juice from 1/2 of the lemon and whisk in 1 teaspoon of honey. Drizzle in olive oil to make the dressing - tasting and adjusting the acid, honey and salt/pepper to your satisfaction. I like the dressing to be just a little on the sweet side, but still a bit zingy.
Dress and toss the salad. Crumble Manouri on top as desired and serve immediately.
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