Hoshigaki are created by peeling and hanging persimmons to dry slowly, aided by an occasional massage that encourages a sugar bloom to appear on their surface like a dusting of frost.
Their weeks-long transformation yields a dense, richly flavored dried fruit whose flavor and texture are a luxurious and unique delicacy.
Traditionally, hoshigaki are strung to dry outdoors, under cover. If your house has eaves, now is the time to festoon them with bright orange, edible decorations (although your local squirrels may thank you).
But many of us must make peace with indoor drying, and it seems to work very well. The best results I have achieved have been in a wide, sunny window that I would crack open on nice days.
Hoshigaki How-to You'll need: -Firm persimmons -Kitchen twine -Vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife -Wooden skewers or stainless steel screws -High-proof alcohol like vodka or gin
Step 1: Soak the skewers or screws in alcohol for 5 minutes (you could also boil them); this is to minimize future mold issues. While soaking, wash your persimmons and peel them.
Step 2: Either use screws or skewers to prepare the fruit for hanging. For screws: Twist a screw into the top of each fruit, and tie twine to the screw heads. For skewers: Pierce the persimmon horizontally across the top, just under its calyx. Tie string to each side of the skewer.
Step 3: To clean the persimmons before hanging, either: dunk the whole stringful into a pot of boiling water and remove at once, or place persimmons in a shallow bowl and pour alcohol over them.
Step 4: Hang your persimmons from the ceiling (either directly from screws inserted in the ceiling, or from a suspended rod). When the exterior of the persimmons are dry to the touch, usually after 24-36 hours, give them a gentle squeeze. Wait 6-12 weeks, and enjoy!