Persimmon Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

Admittedly, there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but it comes together quickly and the outcome is a harmonious and tasty salad from Chef Marcus Samuelsson. The dressing is mixed in a blender, and then the persimmons, tomatoes, and onion marinate in it for a brief time. Meanwhile, flat rice flakes are shallow-fried until puffy and crispy. The final assembly of the salad is a composed layering of the persimmon mixture, greens, and herbs with a final sprinkling of the puffed rice flakes for crunch.

What to buy: We used Fuyu persimmons in this recipe, which are crunchy and flat-bottomed. Do not confuse them with Hachiya persimmons, which have an elongated shape and are astringent if not completely ripened and soft.

Miso is a Japanese culinary staple made by fermenting rice, barley, or, most commonly, soy. The two main types are white (or shiro) miso, which has a sweet, mild flavor, and red (or aka) miso, which is aged and has a salty, umami flavor. You can find miso paste refrigerated at most grocery stores.

Togarashi powder, a Japanese mixture of spices that always contains chiles, can be found in ethnic markets. (It may also be labeled shichimi togarashi.) Or you can make your own.

Rice flakes—rice that is either white or dyed green and then parboiled, rolled flat, and dried—puff up and turn crispy when fried. They’re available at Asian grocery stores, but if you can’t find them, skip the frying and just sprinkle the salad with plain puffed rice instead.