When I received two persimmons in my CSA delivery box last fall, I had no idea what to do with them. I googled around and learned that they were ripe when they went totally soft. I peeled, pureed and frozen the persimmon flesh until I could figure out what to do with it.
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I’ve always been an admirer of the James Beard Foundation and its eponymous awards program. I’m also a fan of the writings of James Beard – classics.
This all relates to my persimmon dilemma because I was fortunate enough to find one of James Beard’s original recipes for persimmon bread.
Persimmon Bread
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3½ c sifted flour
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1½ t salt
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2 t baking soda
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1 t ground nutmeg
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2-2½ c sugar
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1 c melted unsalted butter and cooled to room temperature
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4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
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2/3 c whiskey
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2 c persimmon puree (from about 4 squishy-soft Hachiya persimmons)
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2 c walnuts, toasted and chopped
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2 c golden raisins
Butter 2 loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift the first 5 dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Makes two 9-inch loaves. Storage: Will keep for about a week, if well-wrapped, at room temperature. It takes well to being frozen, too.
And the taste? It reminded me somewhat of a fruitcake – slightly dense, but very sweet.
