Persimmon Bourbon Pie With Vanilla Crumble

I try to not get too poetic and silly about food. I like food. Food is delicious. Hooray!

But this persimmon and bourbon pie is something else. It's enchanting. I've made two different versions now - a muted, sweeter version, and a spicy and slightly more alcoholic version. Both were amazing. :D

Plus, the vanilla crumble on top is really tasty and dead easy. I think you could put it on top of any fruit and have a masterpiece on your hands.

This recipe was inspired by this pear and persimmon one - though I tweaked and modified quite a bit, because I can never just follow a recipe.

Step 1: Ingredients

for the pie:

• a pie crust (I used a store bought one to save time)
• 10-15 fuyu persimmons
• shot of bourbon (1-2 tablespoons)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (taste your persimmons before adding so you don't go too sweet!)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• pinch of salt

for the vanilla crumble:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

The version listed here is the smoother, mellower pie. The boy enjoyed that one much more, so I figure that one is best to present here. If you love cinnamon and cloves, feel free to add more! It's yummy regardless. :D

You'll also want a nice pie pan. I like these glass Pyrex ones!

Step 2: Prep the Persimmons

This is a slightly long winded process because persimmons are hard to peel and notoriously slippery.

The way I do this is to cut off the top and bottom of the persimmon, and then make small angled cuts from the top and bottom to the middle. This trims off the most skin with the least effort. Once you've done that, take the knife and trim around the middle - there may be some pieces of skin left!

Then cut the persimmons in half and into thin slices.

Step 3: Mix Together the Persimmon Filling and Preheat

Once your persimmons are prepped, mix them well with the bourbon, sugar, cornstarch, spices and salt. Make sure there are no dry spots left, and then set the bowl aside to let the flavors mingle for 15 minutes.

Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 400 F.

Step 4: Make the Crumble

First, combine the vanilla extract and the white sugar. Use your hands to rub the vanilla extract into the sugar until it's a nice even color.

Then add in the flour, salt and cubed cold butter. Mix this with your hands until it's soft and crumbly and the butter is broken down into very small pieces - nothing bigger than a pea.

Step 5: Prep the Crust and Assemble

Take your pie crust and lay it into the pan and gently press it down. Use a fork to prick the bottom and around the edges. Prep the edge of the crust anyway you like. I fold under any excess and then go all the way around pressing down with the tines of a fork.

Once the crust is prepped, pour in the persimmon mixture and spread it out evenly. Then sprinkle over the crumble.

Step 6: Baking

This pie will bake at 400 F for 45 minutes.

I didn't have many problems with the crust getting too brown, but it's always good to check it 1/2 way through baking to make sure. If it does look too brown, cover the edges with a bit of aluminum foil. (The bitterness from burned crust kinda ruins the flavor of this pie. I know from experience, I accidentally abandoned the first try and went to do something else.)

Once it's out, let it cool for at least a half hour before digging in. This allows the crumble and filling to set a bit.

Enjoy! I like it best served warm.

The one caveat to this pie - it's best eaten within 2-3 days. After that, the crumble tends to go soggy and it loses quite a bit of character and the mouthfeel goes all wrong. :P