Fruit of the Gods

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Persimmons have long been known as the food of the gods.  The fact that the three that I purchased at the Fair Food Farmstand this week came from someone named Giovanni who grows these luscious fruits, along with figs, in his backyard in Philadelphia only makes them seem more magical.  I couldn’t resist the beautiful basket sitting on the counter.  And while I’ve tasted persimmons before, this was my first experience handling the soft fruits them and cooking with them.  Now I can add them to the amazing list of local foods that are in season in autumn.

For three days the persimmons sat lined up on my counter while I tried to decide how best to use them.  This morning I remembered a recipe I saw in the November/December issue of Hobby Farms for persimmon pudding, and I decided to give it a go (with the Bean’s help, of course).

First, you cut the fruits in half, remove the seeds and core and scoop the jelly-like pulp out.  Then you mash it up. This is where the Bean’s expert toddler mashing skills came in handy, all the while saying “P is for Persimmon!” over and over.  After that, it’s basic baking ingredients and an hour in the oven.

Persimmon Pudding/Cake
From Hobby Farms Magazine (Nov/Dec 2007)

1 c. persimmon pulp
1 egg
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar (the recipe called for 1 cup, but I think 1/2 cup was more than enough with the sweet fruit)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 T. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 325.  Stir together persimmon pulp, egg, milk, melted butter, vanilla and salt. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon; fold into the persimmon batter.  Pour into a buttered 1/2 quart casserole dish and bake for 50-60 minutes until set and lightly browned.

The result was actually more cake than pudding.  Name aside, it had the unmistakable yet subtle taste of persimmon and tasted terrific with a cup of coffee.

Three questions occurred to me while baking this:  what’s the best source for local butter that’s reasonably priced for baking?  How can I use the rest of the can of sweetened condensed milk? What else is Giovanni growing in his little garden of paradise?