Everyone you let into your life is either a blessing or a lesson. If you know them long enough, they can start as one and end up as the other. Relationships blossom, flourish, ebb, and sometimes end. Such is life. 

In the midst of the spectacle of a heartbreak or another type of estrangement leading to the end of a relationship (be it romantic, familial, or platonic), it's easy to forget that a person who has now become a Lesson led you to some beautiful Blessings along the way. 

An ex-boyfriend pointed me in the direction of my first music job, without which I wouldn't have found (ha) the first real, passionate people I'd ever worked with. Before that, an ex-friend introduced me to a Taiwanese restaurant that was hiring, where I met one of my best friends and had some real Formative Years serving overpriced boba to unsympathetic customers. (It's also where I met that ex-boyfriend, who was an a-little-too-sympathetic customer.) 

I went to a party last Saturday where I ate too little and drank too much, but before I puked on a bag in my boyfriend's car (note: on, not in) I had a great time catching up with not only Hannah, the friend hosting the party, but our mutual friend whose ex-boyfriend was/is my ex-boyfriend's best friend.

Seeing her made me realize three things:

1. The South Bay is a fucking inescapable microcosm. 
2. She's a super cool chick and we definitely didn't hang out enough when we were with our respective exes. 
3. A little while from now, today will seem like a long time ago, and it'll mean something else to you in retrospect. 

My view on persimmons is much the same. 

I never liked them all that much as a kid. They're not as sweet as mangos, not as refreshing as watermelons, and not as convenient as oranges (which, what the fuck, are pre-sliced by nature).

And for some reason persimmon trees grow exclusively in grandparents' backyards? All the persimmons I've ever eaten in my life have come from either my Nanay or someone else's grandparents. The ones I used to make this cheesecake are no different (thanks, Ella and Andrew).

When I set out to make a cheesecake, I knew I wanted to flavor it with something in season, mildly sweet, and that would hold up well to spices. We've all seen pumpkin everywhere lately, and don't get me wrong, I love a good pumpkin recipe, but pumpkin isn't a flavor I thought I could add much to.

When I thought of persimmons, I knew they ticked every box - I just wasn't particularly fond of them. I wasn't even excited to taste them for my recipe. I chewed listlessly though a couple chunks before deciding they would serve my needs. 

I grew up eating fuyu persimmons, the variety that's usually peeled and eaten while the fruit is still hard. Actually, I've never had hachiya persimmons (the soft, jelly-like ones) in my life, and didn't know they existed until doing some research for this recipe. Not only was I familiar with fuyu persimmons, but their starchiness would hold up well to the runny cheesecake batter I'd be making.

My attitude toward persimmons completely changed when I cooked them down into a jam to swirl into the cheesecake. A little sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg flipped my whole perspective on their potential.

Special Equipment

• 8x8 square baking pan
• 10x12 aluminum foil tray
• Electric mixer

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or about 1 to 1 1/2 sleeves of graham crackers, crushed into crumbs)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 6 tbs melted butter

Persimmon Jam

• 4 to 5 large persimmons
• water, for blending
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tbs all-purpose flour, 2 tbs water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of nutmeg

Cheesecake Batter

• 2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup of sour cream, room temperature
• 1 1/4cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• boiling water

Method

Make the jam

• Peel and chop all the persimmons, then place in an electric blender. Puree until smooth. If your blender is having trouble pureeing, help it along with a bit of water until it gets going. Note that the more water you add, the longer it will take to simmer out.
• Pour the pureed persimmons into a small saucepan. Mix in the sugar, then allow the mixture to simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, mix the flour and the two tablespoons of water until no chunks of flour remain.
• After reducing the puree until it darkens (meaning the fruit is cooked), pour in the flour/water mixture while stirring the jam. Stir and cook continuously over low heat for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.
• Once thick, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Allow the jam to cool to room temperature while assembling the other components.

Make the crust

• Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until the mixture looks and feels like wet sand. Add the pecan pieces and mix to distribute.
• Line the 8x8 pan with parchment paper, with overhang for easy removal. Evenly press the crumb mixture by hand into the bottom of the pan. Try to make it as level as possible, paying extra attention to the edges of the crust.
• Bake the crust for 12 minutes. Begin the cheesecake batter while waiting, but don't forget to take the crust out of the oven. Set aside until the batter is ready.

Make the batter

• Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a bow large enough for an electric hand mixer). Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the sour cream, then beat for another two minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the sugar, then the vanilla. Give the bowl one last scrape down, then beat the whole thing for 2 minutes. 
• Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into a ziplock bag or a piping bag. (Hint: place the ziplock over a glass, then invert the top onto the lip of the glass to keep it in place.)
• Mix 3/4 of the (now cool) persimmon jam into the cheesecake batter. (Reserve the rest for toast, or, as one of my friends suggested, serve with vanilla ice cream.)
• Pour the persimmon cheesecake batter over the crust. The batter should be runny, and should spread itself evenly. 
• Take the ziplock bag of the reserve (still white) cheesecake batter, twist it so all the batter is forced into one corner. Cut off the very tip of the corner (carefully - remember it's pretty runny) and pipe diagonal stripes into the persimmon batter. The stripes should seamlessly spread into the batter. Take a chopstick, toothpick, or skewer and, on the bias direction (making an x essentially) draw lines into the batter. Then draw parallel lines to the lines you just drew in the other direction.  (If this is confusing, just swirl the white lines into the orange batter, it's not that serious.)

Finish him

• Place the 8x8 pan into the 10x13 aluminum tray. Pour boiling water into the tray until it's about 3/4 of the way full.
• Place the whole thing (the aluminum tray with the boiling water and the 8x8 pan inside) into the oven. The idea is to make a water bath, which helps the cheesecake bake evenly and prevents cracking once it's finished. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour.
• The cheesecake is finished baking when the edges begin to brown and the center no longer jiggles when the pan is moved.
• Once the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven but leave the pan inside. Prop open the oven door and allow the cheesecake to cool with the oven for 15 minutes. (Cooling too quickly at room temperature will shock the cheesecake, potentially cracking the surface).
• Carefully remove the aluminum tray, pour out the hot water, and remove the 8x8 pan. Place on a wire rack to completely cool to room temperature. Once completely cool, wrap the pan and place in the fridge overnight or at least 5 hours to set the cheesecake.
• Profit.