Persimmon Pudding, from tree to table.
Step One: Find a neighbor with a gorgeous, almost cartoon like persimmon tree. Ask your Mom to help you pick persimmons… Mom always likes to help.
Step Two: Entice neighbor and Mamabear with the promise of fresh baked persimmon pudding if you’re granted access to their persimmon tree.
Step Three: Try this phrase, “Hey Neighbor! I think you’re just swell. Can I borrow a ladder? That’s one tall tree. Sweet… thanks.”
Step Four: If you decide to sneak a peek into the other neighbor’s yard while you’re up on that ladder picking persimmons… maybe you’ll want to be more subtle than my mother. I’m just sayin…
Step Five: Pick the ripest, softest persimmons. Way to be, Mom!
Step Six: Carefully place super ripe persimmons in bag to cart off home, thanking your neighbors Dan and Libby for their ladder and their abundant tree.
Step Seven: If you don’t happen to have a neighbor with a persimmon tree, I’m betting that the local farmer’s market will have some gorgeous Hachiya persimmons for you this time of year…. and you won’t need a ladder.
Step Eight: Call your favorite Aunt from Indiana and ask her to promptly send you all of the persimmon recipes she owns… that will be a lot. Seriously. Thanks Judy!
Let’s very quickly clear up any confusion you might have about persimmons. There are probably two types of persimmons that you might run in your search for the fruit this autumn. Fuyu persimmons are the squat little darlings that you can eat when they are hard. Hachiya persimmons are the more bulbous fruit that are best enjoyed super right and super soft. Hachiya persimmons are lovely for baking as they are super sweet… like eating nectar… dreamy.
Now… let’s talk about ‘Simmon Puddin’. When you think of Persimmon Pudding think of sweet and super moist bread pudding meets spice cake. If you can… close your eyes and think about a dessert that you grandmother might make in October 1976 if you lived in Indiana… now, you might not like this dessert as much as you like your grandmother’s chocolate cake, but you liked that she served her Persimmon Pudding with super melty vanilla ice cream… which made everything ok. There you go…. that’s Persimmon Pudding.
Persimmon Pudding
some old school Indiana newspaper 1976
makes 6 to 8 servings
2 cups fresh Hachiya persimmon pulp, removed from the skin
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon melted butter, plus more for buttering dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×9 baking dish and set aside
Stir the baking soda and sugar into the persimmon pulp and set aside. This mixture may thicken as it sits… that’s ok!
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and spices. Add to the persimmon mixture all at once and stir until flour is almost completely incorporated.
Whisk together milk, egg and butter and add to the persimmon and flour mixture. Batter will be very loose. Pour into the baking dish.
Bake for 1 hour covered with foil, or uncovered. If you make the pudding covered, you’ll have a very wet and moist pudding. If you bake the pudding uncovered, you’ll have a drier pudding topped with a bread like crust. I baked my pudding uncovered. Bake the pudding until it is firm but still very moist.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Best served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Jennifer
I am so envious of access to that tree!
Rebecca
I never knew you could eat those, I always thought they were for a pretty garnish. I guess you learn something new everyday! Sounds like one more thing that I will have to totally try out!
Anna
You know, I love persimmons but I never ever thought of using them in baking.
This fruit reminds me of my childhood, we had these in Italy all the time but once we moved to Canada they became a speciality as they so rare. My mom always used to buy them during the holidays and warn me that if I ate too many that I would get a tummy ache…didn’t stop me then and sure as heck doesn’t stop me now!
Phoo-D
What a beautiful post. Just the sight of hachiyas made me swoon. They contain one of the most delightful flavors imaginable ripe off the tree. My great-grandmother made a persimmon pudding which looks quite similar to yours. This is a classic comfort food dish!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
My grandmother had a recipe for this and when I was little I always wondered what the heck it was!
Claire
Hachiya persimmons next door? You lucky son of a gun! I love persimmons, and can’t wait to try out this recipe, it look divine. yum yum yum!
Jenny
I haven’t has a persimmon in soo long. I’ll be on the hunt for them now.
Erika from The Pastry Chef At Home
You know, the first time I ever saw a persimmon was in Italy and I thought it was some really weird Italian tomato. Ha.
ps: Does that article really say “By Tubby Toms” ?? Or am I suffering from sleep deprivation induced hallucinations?
Mags
I’ve never tasted a persimmon before, but I’ll admit the way you boast of their beauty, I’m going to put that on my bucket list. Where in Indiana in 1976?
Debbie Ellsworth
Hello, If you have not tried Persimmon pudding, you definitely need to put it on your bucket list. I am from Mitchell ,Indiana home of the Persimmon Festival this is a festival everyone should see atleast once !!! You will learn everything you need to know regarding persimmons and not to mention the best persimmons you will find anywhere. They also have a website you can go to for more info. Mitchell, Indiana persimmon festival .com It is also the home of my grandmothers cousin Virgil gus Grissom the astronaut.
Sharon
You’re such a gem Joy – a true gem.
Laura
What a great story! I really liked watching the move from the tree to the kitchen to the table. I’ve never really used much persimmon before but may have to give this a try. Thanks!
Meredith
When I moved to California from Georgia, I had never seen a persimmon. But I soon heard people talk about how good they are, so when I saw some at the grocery store that fall, I decided to buy a few. Not knowing the difference between Fuyu and Hachiya, I proceeded to buy several unripe Hachiyas. I got home and couldn’t wait to taste one.
It was probably THE worst thing I’ve ever eaten–the moisture is completely sucked out of your mouth. I thought I had poisoned myself until a quick Google search assured me that I’d survive :)
I went on to use the rest of the (ripe) persimmons several days later to make a persimmon pudding. Lesson learned…but I still like Fuyus better!
MollyCookie
Your pictures are amazing. Great post!
Lara
Awesome! I’m a huge fan of Fuyus, so I never venture into Hachiya territory. Now I have a reason to try them out.
snooky doodle
I enjoyed reading your steps to follow for persimmon pudding :) Never baked it but it sounds interesting :)