Almond Persimmon Cream Cheese Tart

Having just made this recipe, I'm confused about a couple things:

1. Calls for 4 persimmons, 3 of which are sliced and arranged on top of the cream cheese layer. The pictures shown seem to show vastly less persimmon. Either I sliced mine considerably thinner than was intended (possibly) or the bake time should be longer to account for large chunks of fruit.

A larger amount of fruit -- whether it's covering more area, or using larger pieces -- is going to impact how the filling sets up. At 40 minutes, mine seemed set up but the filling was a bit undercooked in the center of the tart. I assume the persimmons will release some moisture no matter what, so it seems like the bake time probably ranges even more based on how the fruit is cut and arranged.

2. Having read multiple comments suggesting reducing the almond extract, I used 1/4t as indicated in crust, but reduced to 1/2t almond and 1/2t vanilla in the filling. With those levels, I find the overall taste to be stronger than is my preference -- and any more than that would have been FAR too much. I also wished I'd reduced the sugar in the filling.

I will note that I tend to reduce sugar in many baking recipes, so that's my preference. I think it might also be useful to point to flavored coffeeshop drinks as an indicator here: I don't like the strength sweetness OR artificial flavor in a standard "caramel latte"-type drink. If you tend to request extra pumps of syrups in your coffee drinks, maybe this recipe's levels are a little more in line with your preferences! I don't mean this in a judgmental way -- but I tend to agree with some of the other commenters that the amount of almond extract may be too much for an average palate.


Strong points for this recipe:
1) The crust dough is dead easy and came out great. A nice buttery brown on the bottom, and it came off the
2) Incorporating sliced and pureed persimmon. There are lots of recipes out there for baked goods that start with puree, but actually not so many that capitalize on the beauty of the sliced fruit.
3) Unfussy methods! It was fun to pull together, and beautifully free of tricky moments with leavening, egg whites, etc. Satisfying bake.

I'd make this again with less sugar, less extract, and a longer bake on the full tart (possibly reducing the crust bake time to keep it from overbrowning).

I couldn’t disagree more with the negative comments. This tart is easy, delicious, and a huge hit! I have made it with persimmons, pears, or mangoes, depending on what’s available, and all are excellent. The one change I make is to sub almond paste for almond extract, which gives a dense, pure almond flavor. The sugar in the persimmon coating can also be reduced for those who prefer slightly less sweetness. But all in all, it’s a wonderful recipe!

Can this be made a day ahead?

Sorry, but this was a total failure for me. The cream cheese layer did not set up after 20 minutes--it took a solid hour of baking. And the whole thing looks very homely. I made this for Thanksgiving and left it home!

I was so excited to try this recipe, but after making it, I definitely would not do it again without serious modifications. I had reservations about the amount of almond extract and sugar before trying it, but figured I'd give it a go. The end result was way too sweet and the almond flavor overwhelmed the persimmons. I ended up just throwing it out. If I were to try it again, I would reduce both the sugar and almond extract by at least half (no joke), and probably add a tiny pinch of salt to both the cream cheese mixture and the sugared persimmons to bring out the flavor of the ingredients.

pat, any girl that puts almond extract in her crust AND her cream cheese filling.....is MY kinda girl! Hey, I'll take your persimmons and raise you my candied ginger!

But Pat, I want to press the dough into the pan with my DIRTY fingers!!!;-}
...or do you think that will affect the baking time too much? winkwinkwink!

Thank you for sharing. I know this was posted awhile ago, but do you think the taste would be watered down or something negatively affected if I added more persimmons to completely cover the tart? I love how yours is arranged but l'd like to have a way to use up more of my persimmons. I have TONS.

does anyone know if you can make the crust a day ahead? just chill or bake and then do the filling the next day?

could you make this in a tart pan instead of a springform pan?

Are there any good substitutes for a persimmon, if I can't find any in the grocery store?

Congratulations on your CP!

One can see that this tart is delicious even before tasting it! I like how you toss persimmon slices and almonds in sugar, which caramelize them while baking. A great recipe Pat!

LOVE this! It sounds just delicious, cream cheese and almond making the persimmon a better version of itself. Can I tell people to slice persimmons for my tart like yours? Yours is a WHOLE lot prettier!!!!