Happy New Year and Persimmon Ice Cream

Wow, what an amazing year we've had! 2009 began like many of the previous years.... comfortable and familiar. In May I graduated from culinary school with the intent of going on to finish up my degree in Photography, eventually returning back to culinary school to teach.

Fate stepped in, and at the end of May we were given an opportunity we didn't think would be available to us for at least five more years and without hesitation we took it! We put our beloved house on the market, said our goodbyes to dear friends, and I drove 30 hours to a house I had only looked at once in a city I visited only briefly. Along the way we realized we needed change, crave diversity and look forward to the future with excitement. What the future holds we do not know, a year in London perhaps.... another new city to explore or a few more years here in beautiful San Diego? The possibilities are limitless, and I love it!

What I do know is I have every intent to savor the opportunities we were given, the friendships I have formed and the knowledge that 2010 is another year filled with unlimited adventures and possibilities.

Now on to the best part of a food blog, the recipes!

One of the simplest pleasures of living on the west coast is the abundance of farmers markets available year round. I drive through the San Pasquale Valley and marvel at the amount of lemons and oranges on the trees in December, truly a beautiful sight to behold. A new favorite fruit in our family is the persimmon. A bright orange fruit, soft when ripe with a sweet melon like flavor. It's sweetness is the perfect compliment to desserts, especially a persimmons ice cream. Easy to make and certainly a beautifully simple way to ring in the New Year!

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Persimmons Ice Cream

adapted from Fresh from the Market

serves 3

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2 ripe persimmon

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. pure vanilla

2 tbsp. orange juice

2 tbsp. lemon juice

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Core and seed the persimmon, Cut into quarters and place in freezer, freeze until hard. Preferably overnight. Place frozen fruit into a blender, blend until fruit is broken into small pieces. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Serve immediately with fresh or store bought gingersnap cookies.