Steamed Persimmon Pudding

California Holly = Live Oak + Rose Hips

Recipe from Old Surrey, England

A few years ago I met a delightful woman at a winter solstice party. We both had studied art under the same professors at University, and both loved collecting historical recipes. Plus she had concocted my favorite dish of entire potluck using an old time recipe. As I raved over it, she insisted on sending me the details. Alas, I’ve lost touch with her over the years and have forgotten her name, but not her face. This year, for the first time, I made her traditional persimmon pudding recipe from Surrey, a charming rural county southeast of London.

Rum Raisin Persimmon Muffins

Platter of Rummy Goodness

Recipe adapted by Robin

What do you bring to a luau-themed birthday party for a 60 year old who has everything and loves rum? More rum! And some rum raisin muffins for the potluck. Luckily my friend Cynthia shared a recipe for persimmon muffins earlier this year, and I still had persimmons in the freezer. And rum. I remembered what cousin Jon’s great grandma Ellen said about her Bourbon Pecan Cake: soak the raisins in the rum so the alcohol won’t bake off as much. This also concentrates the rummy flavor in each plumped-up raisin. I also cut down the sugar and tweaked a few quantities to accommodate the extra liquid.

Persimmon Chicken

Sweet and Savory Persimmons

Recipe adapted from Persimmon Love

I thought I’d escaped the annual ritual of receiving persimmons from my friend Bill’s tree by being away for the holidays, but alas! I responded to his Christmas greeting early in the New Year, and he replied, “Persimmons?” Sure, I’ll take some. I froze the super-squishy Hachiyas, but had to find a use for the hard, super-ripe Fuyus right away. We’re off the usual persimmony sweet treats post-holiday, so I adapted an online chicken recipe by adding sour and salty components to the sweet persimmons for a perfect balance of flavors. A dash or two of cayenne completes the flavor spectrum.

Persimmon Walnut Bars with Browned Butter Frosting

Perfect for Holiday Sharing

Recipe adapted from old magazine clipping

When it comes to desserts, old school is often the best. At least that’s what I hear whenever I bring an old fashioned treat somewhere to share. This recipe came from Bruce’s parents’ recipe collection. Back in the 70s, most cooks kept a small metal box full of index cards with recipes written or glued onto them. This recipe came from just such a box. Although not terribly practical—since these boxes are small, most contain folded-up recipes that didn’t fit—these little boxes give us a glimpse back into the past, especially when they’re filled with tried and true family recipes. This recipe is more like a moist spice cake than a chewy bar cookie. The browned butter frosting has gone out of fashion, but its exquisite yet simple flavor makes it a delicious and unexpected addition to modern holiday baking.

Persimmon Ginger Sauce for Pancakes

Persimmons in (and on) Blankets

Recipe by Robin

Anyone with a persimmon tree will tell you that there is such a thing as too many persimmons, especially Hachiya persimmons, the kind that get squishy as they ripen. Leaving them to the birds and raccoons is an option, unless the trees are near your house or walkway, in which case Mother Nature can create a slippery yet sticky mess. And so it was that my friend Bill gifted me with a large box of persimmons in December, once again. I froze many of these, but had an inspired idea for them last week when the persimmony taste in a persimmon pancake recipe was too subtle. Thus was born a sweet, delicate, spiced sauce to be served with the pancakes that takes 5 minutes or less to prepare.

Persimmon Pancakes with Almonds (or Without)

Great with Maple Syrup or Butter

Recipe adapted from the Missouri Botanical Garden

I love visiting botanical gardens. As members of the UC Botanical Gardens at Berkeley, my family members are graced with free admission to hundreds of botanical gardens throughout the US. This means walking in nature just about anywhere that we travel domestically, including large cities. St. Louis’ Missouri Botanical Garden, which we have not yet explored, provided this recipe in its fascinating Foodology blog. Research specialist (and foodie) Andrew Townesmith created this recipe when he found some wild American persimmons during a late fall camping trip.  Townesmith has tasted over 450 edible wild plants in conjunction with his work at the garden’s William L. Brown Center, which explores the relationship between human cultures and food plants. Nice work if you can get it!

Persimmon Pudding (Bread) with Lemon Sauce

Celebrating Year of the Wood Horse with Pudding

Recipe from "Orange County Fair Centennial Cookbook" and Dave Wilson Nursery

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Let’s welcome the Chinese Year of the Wood Horse. According to Bay Area astrologer and feng shui consultant Susan Levitt, we can expect fast victories, unexpected adventure, surprising romance, and success in travel off-the-beaten path this year.  Since China produces almost 75% of the persimmons in the world—and because I still have a goodly amount from my friend and super-realtor Bill, I’m celebrating the new year with an award-winning persimmon pudding recipe from the 1920s, topped with in-season lemon sauce from a longtime California-based fruit grower.

Persimmon Pudding II

For Now and For Later

Recipe adapted from Country Cookin’

As I noted in a previous post, there’s great diversity in persimmon pudding recipes, because they’re almost impossible to ruin. Unlike a cake or bread, a puddng’s moisture content and texture can vary quite a bit and still have mouth-appeal. Because this recipe is egg-free, its texture is looser than Persimmon Pudding I. For that reason it requires a bit more finesse, and a larger spatula, to cut and serve in squares. An easier alternative is to bake it in a deep casserole dish and scoop servings out into bowls. A large quantity of buttermilk, rather than a smaller amount of cream or whole milk, makes this old school recipe unique.

Persimmon Pudding I

Smaller Pan makes Deeper Pudding

Recipe by Robin

There’s an amazing amount of variation among persimmon pudding recipes. Some start with 1 cup of persimmons, and others with 2. Milk can be whole, buttermilk, half-and-half, or cream, and can vary in amount between 1/3 cup and 2½ cups. Flour amounts can be either 1 or 2 cups. Some traditional sources, like Joy of Cooking and Aunt Edna at Food.com, use ½ cup butter, whereas Joy the Baker uses only 1 tablespoon. The amount of sugar can vary from ½ cup to 1½ cups, and number of eggs from 1 to 3. One presumably bread-like recipe uses no eggs at all, and only 1/3 cup of milk! Some recipes contain fruits and nuts. Alternatives to the traditional cinnamon-ginger-nutmeg flavoring include cloves, allspice, lemon, vanilla, and rum. Because pudding is by nature soft-textured, baking chemistry is fairly forgiving compared with breads and muffins. So one can apply plenty of artistic license when creating a recipe.

Persimmon Tangerine Lemon & Ginger Marmalade

Persimmon Marmalade with Fuyu Persimmons

Recipe by Robin

‘Way back when during the winter of 02 – 03, when I developed this recipe, I gave away over 400 oz. of this stuff. All told I canned about 60 jars. I had only a vague recollection of my mother making jam, and internet resources for recipes weren’t what they are today. Basically, I had no idea what I was doing. Yet, with two giant Hachiya persimmon trees at my (former) home, I couldn’t stand for the fruits to go to waste. True that crows and starlings liked them, but their constant squabbling and wastefulness annoyed me. Especially when they tossed the squishy remains all over the yard, fence, and garden for you-know-who to clean up. After making 12 successful batches (and one failure), I could barely think of making persimmon jam the following year. Or any other year, until now.

Persimmon Crunch Bars

 Delicious Granola-like Persimmon Bars

Recipe by Robin

“Use persimmons in anything that you’d use pumpkin in,” I read on the internet recently. This sounded seductive until I thought of the persimmon pie “fails” I have had. Persimmons are considerably waterier and sweeter than pumpkin, a completely different texture. Still, I think this advice is worth considering, as long as you plan for the differences.

Raisin Date Persimmon Muffins or Cake

Bundtlette Muffins

Recipe by Robin

Winter is the season for rest and contemplation, especially at the beginning of a new year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean isolation. I’ve become fond of inviting a friend or two to tea or coffee on an afternoon when I know I’ll be home alone. Catching up with conversation brightens the day and reaffirms our friendship. There’s always at least one strange story, some personal insights, and quite a few laughs.

Persimmon Cake Roll

Slice of Festive Persimmon Roll

Recipe by Robin

Gung Hay Fat Choy! That’s Happy Chinese New Year! It’s Year of the Dragon, the most auspicious of all signs, associated with high energy and prosperity. The Dragon brings the Four Blessings of the East: wealth, virtue, harmony, and longevity.  For the first time in 60 years, we have a Water Dragon year. This is particularly good, as the Dragon’s fixed element is Wood, and Water nourishes Wood, as in making plants grow. Water amplifies the Dragon Year’s forces of creativity, good luck, and accomplishment. It is said that “bigger than life” events of all sorts can happen this year.

Persimmon Nut Bread

Bundtlette Style Bread

Recipe by Robin

According to Wikipedia, China produces over 71% of the world’s persimmons, measured in tons. Oddly enough, the Hachiya persimmons are ripening late this season in California, and the Lunar  New Year is early.  So this year, by coincidence, synchronicity, or persimmon whimsy, we can enjoy fresh persimmon goodies for Chinese New Year on January 23. It’s the Year of the Dragon, a most auspicious year and cause for celebration.

Persimmon Bars: Persimmonies

Twelfth Night Tea for Two

Recipe by Robin

It’s the very last day of the holiday season, the feast of the Epiphany. I’m happy to see that some of my neighbors still have the holiday spirit, and have lit their Christmas lights again tonight (one household lights theirs year-round, but let’s disregard that for the moment). This night, also known as Twelfth Night, celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem. Twelfth Night is also a Pagan holiday, a time for masquerades, practical jokes, and for turning the usual social order upside down. Agricultural customs such as wassailing the fields to drive out evil have been traditionally observed on this night.

Preparing Hachiya Persimmons

Perfectly Ripe Hachiya  Persimmon

Instructions by Robin

While house-hunting a couple of winters ago, I remarked on the brightly colored Fuyu persimmons that our realtor had around his office as decorations—or so I thought. “Would you like some?” he asked and when I said yes quickly swept up as many as I could carry and handed them to me. They were from his tree at home, and as a former owner of two Hachiya persimmon trees I understand his haste to give them away. Persimmons are a most misunderstood fruit, unlike apples or lemons, which are more popular giveways because recipients know what to do with them.

Low-fat Appetizers

Christmas-Colored Veggies for Dipping

Menu by Robin, Recipes by Weight Watchers and Cooking by Moonlight

“Simple, low-fat appetizers,” Bruce’s cousin Elizabeth responded when I asked if there was anything particular we could bring for Christmas. “If not possible, just let me know,” she continued, but I love a culinary challenge that requires creative thinking. I also love the idea of beginning a lavish meal with light fare, casually served in the living room as holiday revelers arrive. This menu can also be employed on the week after Christmas when kids are on vacation, as a healthy alternative to the sweets we’ve either made or received as gifts. Next year I’m going to also try this idea for holiday parties and potlucks.