SAVOR SPICY PERSIMMON PUDDING

If you live in flyover country, there’s a special fall treat awaiting you. Along with the turning of leaves, persimmons are ripe and ready to harvest. If you know someone with a persimmon tree, you’re in luck. That is , if you don’t mind the chore of picking the fruit, simmering for hours, and then mashing it through a colander to produce the pulp. That requires a dedication that only persimmon lovers can understand. Fortunately, persimmon pulp is available for sale at this time of year, if only you can find a place to buy it. Typically, there are stands at fall festivals all through the country. If not, you might find it at a fancy, specialty grocery store. It’s fairly expensive, but so what? Persimmons only come around once a year. It’s time to savor spicy persimmon pudding.

It takes a special palette to appreciate persimmon pudding, It’s one of those foods you either love or hate—there’s nothing in between. . For some, it’s a passion to be pursued at any cost—even if it’s fifty miles away. If you serve persimmon pudding, cookies, or cake at a holiday meal, be sure to have pumpkin pie and other more conventional desserts for those who don’t enjoy the unusual flavor.

I used to make only one batch of this recipe at Thanksgiving, which provided enough for those who wanted it. It’s best served warm, and covered with cream. But it’s good at room temperature and a dollop of whipped cream..

PERSIMMON PUDDING

2 cups persimmon pulp

½ cup melted butter

1 cup milk

1 cup half and half (it’s okay to use milk)

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

Mix pulp, eggs. sugar, melted butter and milk. Mix dry ingredients separately. Then combine both mixtures. Stir well. Pour into greased 9 X 13 inch pan and bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Stir several times while pudding is baking so that it won’t harden at edges of pan.

The pudding will turn dark, but that’s natural with this particular recipe. If you want a firmer, lighter product, you can find other recipes on the internet.

Memories are made with persimmon pudding around the holidays.

October 14, 2020October 14, 2020

QUICK FIX CRUNCHY APPLE SALAD

If you’re like a lot of folks during this pandemic, you took your family to an Apple Festival. Enjoying the outdoors and munching on fresh, crisp apples sounded like a great escape back into normalcy. You may have gotten so excited that you went overboard, and bought a whole bushel of apples. Now, you’re wondering what to do with all of them. Aside from everyone eating an apple a day, there are tons of yummy recipes. Here one of my favorites: Quick Fix Crunchy Apple Salad

Your Grandma used to call it Waldorf Salad. It was a big favorite during the holidays, because it went so well with turkey and dressing. It was first introduced in 1893 at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Consequently, it sounded very sophisticated. However, it’s one of the easiest salads you will ever make.

Often, I make just one serving for my husband because he doesn’t like tossed salad very much. Instead of following a recipe, I core and slice an apple, dice half a stalk of celery, throw in 5 or six red grapes(cut in half), and a handful of chopped walnuts. Then I bind it all together with a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise. I don’t include salt, and he doesn’t seem to miss it. But if you’re more comfortable following an actual recipe, here goes:

APPLE SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt (optional)

2 crunchy apples, cored and chopped.

1/2 cup red seedless grapes, sliced in half

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Lettuce (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise (or yogurt), lemon juice, and salt. Stir in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve in a small bowl, or on a lettuce leaf.

Serves 4

It’s important to use the right variety. You don’t want to use softer, mushier apples. Personally, I prefer tart apples like McIntosh and Jonathans. When I can’t find those, Pink Lady is a good substitute.

Quick Fix Crunchy Apple Salad is easy and delicious. I like it with mayonnaise, but if you’re calorie conscious, yogurt will work.

November 27, 2019November 27, 2019

Family Favorite Holiday Recipes

When your kids have been gone 30 years, and still ask you to make these delicious treats, you know they’re pretty good. Something about homemade coffee cake and persimmon pudding brings back joyful memories of past holidays. I’ve posted these traditional recipes before, but am sharing them again in case you missed them. I hope your guests enjoy these family favorite holiday recipes.

Persimmon pulp is now available in most upscale grocery stores. You can even order it over the internet. It’s a bit pricey compared to the good old days, but it sure beats looking for a persimmon tree and spending all day making pulp.

A culinary deight — Rich, Spicy Persimmon Pudding

Not everyone likes persimmon pudding, but for those that do, it’s a rare treat, especially when served with whipped cream. There are other persimmon recipes that give you a dessert with the texture of a brownie or cake, so you might look those up on the internet if you think you would like that better.

PERSIMMON PUDDING

INGREDIENTS

2 cups persimmon pulp

½ cup melted butter

1 cup milk

1 cup half and half (it’s okay to use milk)

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

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I first tasted this rich, flaky, coffee cake roll while living in Chicago, when a German neighbor brought it to a kaffeeklatsch in our building. I had always avoided recipes with yeast, because they required a lot of kneading and the problem was, you might either over knead or under knead, and that would ruin the whole thing.

easy coffee cake — YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNEAD THIS RICH, YEASTY, COFFEE CAKE ROLL

But this was so easy that I made it every year on Christmas and Easter for the next four decades. Friends and family asked for the recipe, and soon, they were claiming it as their own.

RICH FLAKY COFFEE CAKE ROLL

INGREDIENTS:

1 package active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

¾ cup warm milk

3 egg yolks

4 cups flour

2 sticks (1/2 cup) cold margarine

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

FILLING:

1 stick margarine

1 cup powdered sugar

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

ICING:

¾ cup powdered sugar

Enough milk to make a thin paste

DIRECTIONS:

In separate bowl: dissolve yeast in warm water according to package directions; add egg yolks and warm milk.

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and sugar. Using your hands, mix in margarine until you have pea-sized pieces ( as if you are making pie dough),

Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. Do not knead. Cover dough and refrigerate overnight.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 13 X 9 inch rectangle. Stir filling ingredients until fluffy. Spread over rectangles. Roll up jell-roll style, starting with a long side.

Place rolls seam side down at the edges of a 13 X 9 inch baking pan. Cover and let sit until doubled, about 3 hours. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until brown. Make icing and frost the cakes while they are still warm..