Persimmon

I have always known of persimmon, a light orange tomato-like fruit. My parents like to eat them as fruit but I would not try. They looks mushy and bland. I "convinced" myself that I did not like them even without trying. Well, when we received frozen persimmon pulp with our winter CSA share last year, I did not know what to do at first. However, I did not want to waste it. So I decided to try, at least cook with it. I remembered someone telling me about persimmon pudding and how good they are. It was also the most frequent result shown on Internet search. Persimmon bread appeared often too. I tried both (Sadly, I lost the picture of the persimmon bread).

Warm persimmon pudding serve with whipped topping

I liked the pudding more than the bread. It is NOT like the typical pudding (e.g. chocolate/banana pudding). The texture is slightly chewy, similar to fudge-like brownie. On the other hand, the bread was VERY VERY moist, almost too moist. It fell apart easily. However, I liked the addition of raisin and nuts in the bread. When I make this pudding in the future, I would add some raisin and nuts too. The raisin would highlight the sweetness while the nuts with provide some contrasting texture.

Maybe I do like persimmons after all!


Persimmon Pudding (from Allrecipes.com; submitted by Stephanie)
Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups persimmon pulp
2 1/2 cups white sugar *I used 1 cup
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons melted butter


Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter one 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine persimmon pulp, baking soda, sugar and eggs. Mix well.
Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, milk and melted butter. Stir to combine.
Pour into baking pan and bake for 55 minutes. The pudding will rise but will fall when removed from oven


Was it delicious? Eww - So-so - Okay - Oh yum! - Delicioso
Was it challenging to make? (Easy) 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 (Very hard)
Would I make it again? Oh NO! - We'll see - Maybe - Likely - Absolutely