2 c Persimmon puree *
2 1/2 c Sugar
1 c Butter
3 Eggs; beaten
3/4 c All purpose flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 ts Baking soda
1 tb Cinnamon
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 c Buttermilk
1 sm Raw sweet potato; finely grated (optional)
* You can use the large persimmons from the grocer or farm market in
this recipe and it will be good, but the native persimmons have a
much grander flavor.
Combine all ingredients, stirring until smooth. Pour into a greased
9x13" Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 300°F for 1 hour. Let cool and cut
into squares. Can serve with some whipped cream if you want; we
always ate it plain. And it's delicious slightly warm, but also good
cold; room temperature-cold, not refrigerator-cold.
Yield: 16 Servings
This is my grandmother's persimmon pudding that she usually made at
Thanksgiving and/or Christmas for the family. When I was little, I
didn't know what that funny brown stuff was, but even then I thought
it was pretty good. Now I love it but don't get it very often. It's
tough getting persimmons--we always use native persimmons, which are
mostly seed and skin, and getting an entire batch of persimmons that
are ripe (not "puckery") is a feat in itself. You have to collect
them only after a freeze and they fall from the tree and before
critters get them; clean them up as best you can of ground trash; and
put them through a food mill to separate the pulp from the skin and
seeds. And then, make this pudding, and oh, when you do, it's
heaven...
