Persimmon Pudding
Photo: Laurie Smith
SERVES 8 – 10
Eva Powell, a former elementary-school librarian in Mitchell, Indiana, has won the town's pudding contest five times with this recipe.
Pulp from enough halved ripe persimmons to
make 2 cups (about 5 hachiyas)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Put pulp and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Beat in eggs. Put buttermilk and baking soda into a small bowl, and stir. Add to pulp, and mix well.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a medium bowl. Gradually add to pulp, stirring until well combined. Add heavy cream, and mix well.
3. Grease a 9'' X 13'' baking dish with some of the butter. Stir remaining butter into batter.
4. Pour batter into dish. Bake until dark brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool. Serve with whipped cream, if you like.
Also, there is no need to remove the seeds and you must use the fruit only once it's mushy.
I don't know what kind of persimmons you are using, but,for most varieties, you Must remove the seeds. There are a few Asian persimmons that are nearly seedless and I suppose one could mix the soft seed casing in with the pulp, but if real seeds have formed, do please remove them. They are quite hard and bitter. (Maybe the seedless persimmons are the reason for the lack of flavour.)
As for mushy, yes, absolutely- the pucker you will get from even one unripe persimmon in the pudding is quite memorable!
This recipe turned out pretty well with my homegrown Jiro persimmons, but still it is a more cake-like texture than when made with native North American persimmons. Those persimmons make the REAL persimmon pudding- unbelievably rich, creamy, and flavourful. I wish I could get Asian persimmons to bake in the same way.
(Rum-yes! A rum hard sauce makes quite a good accompaniment.)