Beautiful Patch posts about and reminded me of a wonderful Thanksgiving recipe: Persimmon and Walnuts Pudding.
I was surprised to hear that wild persimmons grow in New Jersey. A little research revealed that indeed there is such thing as “American Persimmon.” It grows in the south and along the East Coast and is traditionally consumed in a pudding. So here it is, persimmon pudding—orange-y, cinnamony, festive and comforting...anything you could ask from a holiday dessert.
Wild persimmons’ texture bears resemblance to the Hachiya variety. Make sure that they are very, very ripe, soft and mushy before you put them in your mouth. You can use, of course, store-bought persimmons. Call the store ahead of time to make sure they have them. Hachiyas work better in this recipe. But, if you're using the Fuyu variety, let them ripen until they are very soft and please add a tablespoon of honey to the recipe.
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Serve the pudding with a dollop of cinnamon-honey crème fraîche, vanilla ice cream, sour cream or crème anglaise.
Persimmon Pudding (adapted from Chez Pannisse Fruits)
About 2 pounds wild or Hachiya persimmons, VERY soft and ripe
1¼ cups flour
a pinch of salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cup sugar (we like brown, the original recipe calls for white)
3 eggs
1 ½ cups milk
¼ cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon honey (2 if using fuyu persimmons)
1 cup shelled walnuts toasted for 5 to 6 minutes in a 350° oven; coarsely chopped.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
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Scrape the pulp off the peel of the persimmon. Puree in food processor or a food mill.
In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.
Combine the persimmon pulp, sugar, eggs, milk, cream, and honey.
Gradually stir the persimmon mixture into the flour mixture. Don’t worry if it looks thin at first, it will thicken. Let rest for about ½ an hour and meanwhile preheat the oven to 325°.
Butter an 8-inch or 9-inch baking pan and dust with flour. Line the bottom with baking parchment.
Melt the butter, let it cool slightly then stir both butter and nuts into the batter.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in the 325° oven for about 90 minutes or until the pudding is set (i.e not giggly in the middle.)
Serve warm.
This post is adapted from www.princetoneats.org.
