AN ANTIQUE PERSIMMON RECIPE

Public domain illustration of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Recipes are good-will ambassadors." Mrs. Cordell Hull as quoted in Pioneer "Vittals"

Everyone finds their way to Brooklyn, it would seem. Then their books find their way onto the shelves of second-hand bookstores and into our family library. This post was inspired by one such find.

The glorious gold-orange globes of hachiya persimmons arrive in the market along with the autumn chill. There are several kinds of persimmons, but the ones generally available to US are the hachiya. These must be very ripe to eat raw or use in cooking.  They have high tannin levels, which makes them bitter when unripe. When the persimmons become as soft as a ripe tomato, you can cut them in half, scoop out the flesh with a spoon, and eat them raw.  Or you can use the pulp for breads, cakes, and puddings.
we found the recipe below, which we offer for historical interest, in a charming booklet compiled by Sarah Dougherty of Russellville, Tennessee.  There's no date on the book and no copyright to give us a hint.  It would appear that Mrs. Dougherty lovingly collected old Tennessee recipes and probably self-published this tiny, three-by-five, brown-covered gem.  According to the booklet, this recipe is from the mountains of East Tennessee and dates back to the 1800s.

Persimmon Pudding

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup seeded persimmons
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon soda dissolved in buttermilk
• 1 cup four [substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour, exchangeable one-for-one in a recipe]
• butter, the size of an egg [3/4 stick of sweet butter or Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks]
• 1/2 teaspoon each of spice, cinnamon and nutmeg

Mix all together and bake in moderate oven until done.
Serve with whipped cream.

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EARTH BALANCE VEGAN BUTTER STICKS

Earth Balance Buttery sticks works just fine in baking. The spread is suitable as a spread or for cooking but not for baking, frosting, or candy-making.

Kosher.
Gluten Free.
Dairy Free.

Ingredients: Expeller-Pressed Natural Oil Blend (Soybean, Palm Fruit, Canola Seed And Olive Oils), Filtered Water, Pure Salt, Natural Flavor (Derived From Corn, Not MSG, No Alcohol, No Gluten), Soy Protein, Soy Lecithin, Lactic Acid (Non-Dairy, Derived From Sugar Beets), And Beta Carotene Color (From Natural Source).

Actual product ingredients may be other than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read package labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.