Persimmon Pudding

"Of course I know what persimmon tastes like." I bit into the fruit. It had the texture of a firm heirloom tomato and a heady, semisweet taste as though infused with a tiny drop of honey.
Meg Donohue, How To Eat A Cupcake

Quite some time ago, I found some persimmons in the supermarket.  I had never tasted a persimmon and really didn't know what to do with one, but I decided to buy some to try anyway.  I am so glad that I did.  The ripe persimmon is really quite delicious, and unlike anything else I have ever tasted. 

I think that I was put off persimmons because I was led to believe that they were bitter, and that may well be true of the unripe, old fashioned astringent persimmon, a heart shaped fruit.  However, the supermarkets seem to sell only non-astringent persimmons, which are larger and sweeter than their old fashioned cousins.

As well as eating the persimmons, I decided to try cooking with them.  Recipes for persimmons are not that common in my cookbooks, but Stephanie Alexander came through with flying colours in The Cook's Companion.  I chose to make Stephanie's recipe for persimmon pudding, a steamed pudding.  Stephanie's pudding is incidentally based on a Maggie Beer recipe, so I was able to cook from two of my favourite Australian food experts in one hit.  Doesn't it look super:

I ate my pudding with lashings of homemade custard, just the way I like it:

If you are lucky enough to come across some non-astringent persimmons, do try them as they are; however, if you have enough, I also recommend this wonderful steamed pudding.  To make it, you will need:

120g unsalted butter

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

150g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup persimmon puree

1 tablespoon brandy

1 cup dried cranberries, currants or raisins

Melt 100g of the butter and let it cool a bit.  Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water in a cup, and set aside.

 Using the remaining 20g of butter, grease a 1 litre pudding basin and sprinkle one tablespoon of sugar to coat the insides of the basin.

Mix the melted butter with the eggs and remaining sugar.  Sift in the flour, salt and cinnamon.  Add the persimmon puree, bicarbonate of soda mixture, brandy and dried fruit, and mix well.  

Scrape the batter into the prepared pudding basin.  Covert th basin with its lid or with a double layer of alfoil secured with string.

Put a wire rack or upended tart tin into the bottom of a stockpot or very large saucepan.  Put the pudding basin on top of the rack or upended tart tin, and pour in hot water to come half way up the sides of the basin.  Cover the stockpot or saucepan with a lid, and steam the pudding for 3 hours (check to ensure that the pudding does not boil dry and top up the water as necessary).

Remove the pudding basin from the pot, and check the top of the pudding, which if cooked will be dark and springy, and a skewer inserted into the pot should come out clean.  If not, return the pudding to the pot and steam for a little longer.

To serve the pudding, unmould it while warm onto a serving plate, and slice into pieces to serve with icecream or custard.