Baby Spinach Salad

with Persimmons and Toasted Hazelnuts

This is a nice, simple salad, and the persimmons add an out-of-the-ordinary touch to it. If they're not in season, you can likely get them dried at the farmer's market. It's not quite the same, but it'll make you remember to try it out when they are in season (typically late summer through mid-to-late fall).

For 6

Ingredients

8 oz. Baby Spinach
¾ Cup Hazelnuts
3 Persimmons
There are two main types of persimmons - Fuyu and Hachiya. Hachiya are more commercially available, and are astringent until they're soft and ripe. Fuyu are non-astringent, and can be eaten while still firm. Both are tasty.

Dressing:
2 Cups Pinot Noir
1 T Olive Oil
1 T Red Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Put your hazelnuts on a baking sheet or in a small pie tin, and pop it in the oven to toast them. After about 5 minutes, give the pan a good shake so as to prevent them from burning on one side. After another 3 minutes, give them another shake, and then take them out after another 2 minutes (so 10 minutes total). Remove the pan from the oven, and pour the hazelnuts into a bowl to allow them to cool. Once your hazelnuts have cooled off, loosely chop them up.

Pour your Pinot Noir into a sauce pan, and set it over medium heat. You want to reduce it by about half. Once it's reduced, remove the pan from the stove and pour your reduction into a bowl and allow it to cool.

Rinse and peel your persimmons, and cut them into slices.

Add your olive oil and red wine vinegar to your Pinot Noir reduction, and whisk together.

Rinse your baby spinach and put it into a bowl. Add your persimmon slices and toasted hazelnuts, and salt and pepper.

When you're ready to serve, pour your dressing over the salad, and toss with your hands.