‘Tis the season for persimmons falalalalaaaa lalaaala

Persimmons are a delicious, edible fruit that seem to be relatively unknown in the United States. There are two kinds astringent or non-astringent, and the variety I purchased was the non-astringent fuyu version. They are less astringent and lose their tannic quality as they ripen, making them palatable. They are in season from late October to December, which is why they are currently sold in grocery stores. They strikingly resemble tomatoes, but don’t worry, taste nothing like it! When ripened, the fruit is sweet, almost custard like.

A word of caution, if they are not fully ripened, they do have a bitter, mealy taste to them, which leaves little to be desired. A good way to tell when they can be eaten is by their color (change from orange to red) and cracking skins.
Growing up, they were a common sight in my home, and since I haven’t had it in a while I decided to purchase some, and what better way to eat it than in a dessert?!

I scoured my foodgawker iphone app (a godsend, I tell you!) for an appropriate app, and found the perfect one: a vintage Persimmon Pudding & Hard Sauce recipe made by Boulder Locavore’s Grandmother! I love English puddings, they are so dense, and have an intense nutty flavor to them. Putting some persimmons into the mix could only mean a good outcome : ) I am not afraid to explore and try new recipes even though it sometimes means you could end up with a disaster. While, that has happened before, it wasn’t the case with this recipe!

In the UK, Hard Sauce is associated with Xmas/New Years desserts and is made by creaming butter, and sugar with alcohols like rum, or brandy. It is best served cold and accompanies hot desserts such as puddings, pies or cakes.

Persimmon Pudding with Hard Sauce

The recipe was fairly simple to follow, though I did make a few changes to it depending on the ingredients I had in my pantry. For some reason, the sauce did not thicken as much it was supposed to, I should have used a mixer instead of doing it by hand. 

I also used mini flan pans instead of ramekins and they turned out perfect though I wish I had purchased smaller pans to make them more individualized. The pudding is rich and I don’t think I would be able to eat an entire one without a coronary!! 

Ingredients:

 

Woops, just missing the milk.

For pudding:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 medium-sized persimmons (peeled, seeded pulp)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used a processor to chop up my already chopped walnuts into smaller pieces)

For Hard Sauce:

• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1/2 cup cream, whipped
• 1/2 teaspoon rum emulsion (this stuff is potent!)

adapted fromBoulder Locavore

Pre-heat oven to 325F.

Grease flan pans with butter, and set aside.

Here comes the fun part. Squish, yes, squish! the persimmons in a bowl to make a pulp. Mine were really ripe, so the skin separated really easily from the insides, as you can see.

Goodbye peel, you have fulfilled your destiny…

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter.

Mix together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon powder. Set aside.

Add wet ingredients – milk, butter & vanilla to dry ingredients until combined.

Then, add persimmon pulp and stir to combine

 

Add in chopped walnuts and stir to combine evenly through the mixture.

Fill pans 3/4 full and bake on a cookie sheet for 25 minutes till toothpick comes out clean and the tops have started to brown.

To make the Hard Sauce, first melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave. Then, beat 1 egg white, and whip the cream to lift it. Add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients – powdered sugar and nutmeg. Combine well, and finally add in 1/2 teaspoon of rum emulsion.

 

I am extremely happy with how this recipe turned out, apart from the hard sauce not becoming too thick (that was all my fault, I should have used a mixer instead…my arm got tired whisking!) This recipe would be perfect for a unique dessert at your Holiday meal – it’s easy to make, tastes incredibly rich, and best of all is quick! Stop drooling, and start baking ; )

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!