Persimmon pudding steamed the traditional way

Published 2:07 pm Tuesday, November 4, 2008

If the pilgrims had planted persimmons instead of pumpkins, we’d all probably be making steamed persimmon pudding for Thanksgiving, not pumpkin pie.

But we all might be making persimmon pudding anyway, thanks to Patricia Robinson of Everett, who recently started this particular ball rolling.

Planning an old-fashioned Christmas this year, she asked for our help, telling us, “I would love to serve a favorite steamed persimmon pudding that my mother used to make. But wouldn’t you know, I can’t find her recipe. I do remember Mother used to steam it in a coffee can.”

A number of Forum cooks picked up the ball and ran with it, and now we have a number of options for persimmon pudding, but only one (as of right this minute, anyway) that is an actual steamed, not baked, recipe for this time-honored classic. And we can thank faithful longtime Forum contributor Anna Y. Pritchard for once again rushing to our rescue with the following how-to.

First, though, Anna catches us up with some good tidings.

“After living 25 years in Marysville,” she writes, “I recently moved to Arlington, and I love living here. It was well worth the 15 years of saving to move into our house. I have, along with Bill, my husband of 29 years, and our dog B.J., started to organize my collection of cooking materials…

“In my copy of ‘Joy of Cooking,’ there is a recipe for a persimmon pudding which is very good. Then I looked in my 1983 edition of ‘California Cooking,’ published by HP Books, and I am enclosing that recipe.

“I am also sending this information: Persimmons are mainly grown in California and are available only three months of the year, October, November and December, peaking in November. They are similar to plums in taste and texture. When shopping for persimmons, look for plump, smooth fruit with stems attached. Ripen in a cool dark place, and refrigerate as soon as possible. If not using persimmon pulp right away, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice per 2 cups of pulp to prevent darkening.”

You’ll notice Anna’s recipe calls for the persimmon mixture to be steamed in a mold. If you don’t own one, or yours is the wrong size, as long as you have a deep enough kettle, a large clean coffee can should work just as well now as it did back then for Patricia’s mother.

Echo Reece Kruse, my late beloved mother-in-law, made a lot of wonderful steamed puddings, and I know for a fact that she always used a coffee can, covered tightly with aluminum foil before steaming.

Now all we need are the fresh persimmons, and we’ll be all set to make:

PERSIMMON PUDDING

11/2cups all-purpose flour

1cup sugar

1teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda

1/2teaspoon each salt and ground allspice

1/4teaspoon ground nutmeg

2persimmons or enough to make 2 cups pulp

1tablespoon lemon juice

1/2cup milk

1egg

1/2teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4cup butter or margarine, melted

1/2cup chopped raisins

1/4cup chopped walnuts

Hard sauce (recipe follows)

Grease a 6- or 8-cup mold. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and nutmeg; set aside. Cut persimmons in halves crosswise; scoop out pulp and puree in a blender or food processor. Add pulp to flour mixture along with the lemon juice, milk, egg, vanilla and butter or margarine; beat until smooth.

Stir in raisins and walnuts; spoon into greased mold. Cover. Place on rack in a steamer or 6- to 8-quart pot. Pour boiling water into steamer or pot until it comes halfway up side of mold. Cover and steam 21/2 hours or until firm. Remove; let stand in mold 10 minutes. Invert to unmold. Serve warm or cold with hard sauce.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

HARD SAUCE

1/2cup softened butter

1cup powdered sugar

2tablespoons brandy

In a small bowl, beat together butter, sugar and brandy until smooth.

The next Forum will appear Friday.