I am amazed at how well this recipe turned out. I adapted a traditional recipe from the blog Bojon Gourmet and made it AIP-compliant. AIP-compliant desserts don’t always turn out as good as their traditional counterparts. But this time, I was delighted; these little rustic galettes deliver on taste and texture. The crust is perfectly … well, crusty … and the combination of persimmons and applesauce works really well. The final result is a very satisfying pastry, not overly sweet, not dry, and the crust, oh my!
I’ll be using this amazing crust for many more desserts in the future for sure!
Before we continue, a word of caution.
Persimmons are a little bit tricky to work with. If they are not ripe, they will taste awfully bitter. When they are ripe, they turn mushy pretty quickly. So, when is a persimmon ripe? Well, as they ripen, they get softer to the touch and their skin turns from bright orange to light brown. So the trick is to use them when they just turned ripe when they feel soft to the touch like an orange. If you get them still hard from the store, you’ll have to wait at least 3-5 days before you can use them. Well worth the wait though in my opinion!
Here is a headshot of Fuyu persimmons. These are the ones you’ll need for this recipe. You can find them at your local grocery store during the holiday season. If you can’t find persimmons, try apples instead!
Ingredients
Method
- Measure out the palm shortening and the water, then place them in the refrigerator overnight. They need to be really cold for the recipe.
- Combine the cassava flour, tigernut four, arrowroot flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a whisk.
- Take the palm shortening out of the fridge and cut up in small chunks using a sharp knife.
- Add to the flour and continue working it into the flour with a pastry knife until the palm shortening is broken down into pea-sized pieces and coated with flour. You may use a sharp knife if you don’t have a pastry cutter.
- Stir in the ice-cold water and mix the dough with a rubber spatula until you obtain a rough and chunky dough. Do not overwork the dough; it is supposed to look and feel rough on purpose.
- Divide the dough into 3 even portions, form into balls using your hands and refrigerate while you prepare the persimmons.
- Cut the stem out of the Fuyu persimmons and then cut them in half. Cut each half into ¼-inch thick slices using a serrated knife.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut a large piece of parchment paper and place it on your work area (countertop or wooden board). Lightly dust with arrowroot powder. Place one ball of dough in the center and dust with arrowroot as well. Place another piece of parchment paper over the dough and flatten a bit with your hand. Using a rolling pin, continue to flatten the dough carefully until you obtain a disc of about ⅛-inch thick.
- Spread 2 tbsp of applesauce in the center of the disc (leaving approximately ¾-inch space on the edges). Top with slices of persimmon.
- Fold up the edges around the fruit, pressing on the pleats to stick them together. Transfer the galette on the parchment-lined baking sheet using a large spatula. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Bake in the oven until the crust turns golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through. Enjoy warm right out of the oven!
Aren’t persimmons nightshades, and therefore not allowed on AIP?
Persimmons are allowed on the AIP diet.