2008 © FamilyFun
Persimmon Pudding
This unusual pudding comes from Cindy M., whose grandmother used to make a
huge batch every Thanksgiving using ripe persimmons from her backyard in
Clark
County, Illinois. That was the only persimmon pudding Cindy had ever
seen--until she spotted a bowlful on the table during her first
Thanksgiving with
her husband John's family in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Then, last
year,
while visiting Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, she came across a recipe
for
a Native American version. She deduced that her early ancestors, who first
settled in the South, must have adapted the Native American dish and
brought it
with them when they migrated west. To bring the story full circle, when
FamilyFun looked for persimmons out of season (in midsummer, so we could
sample
Cindy's recipe), the only ones we could find were in Indiana at the home of
a
Native American man named Honey Bear. We interrupted his afternoon of gourd
gardening when we phoned to ask if we could purchase some of his persimmon
pulp. He graciously sent us three pints.
Ripe persimmons (enough to make 2 cups of persimmon pulp) 3 cups
milk 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon
baking
soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Dash of
cinnamon 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) Whipped cream
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the skin and seeds from the persimmons
and puree the pulp in a blender or food processor. In a large bowl, combine
the pulp, milk, sugar, eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla
extract, and cinnamon until well mixed. Stir in the chopped nuts, if
desired. Pour
the mixture into an ungreased 9- by 13-inch baking pan and bake for 70
minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve
warm with
whipped cream. Serves 8.
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