Persimmon Pudding

The following persimmon pudding recipe is from the Joy of Cooking. It is for members of the clean plate club. Memorable! Best served warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

To make persimmon pulp ... 

Cut 4 to 6 very ripe large persimmons in half. Remove any seeds, and then scrape the pulp free from the skins with a teaspoon. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor. If it looks stringy, force it through a sieve with the back of a spoon. Makes approx. 1 ½ to 2 cups pulp.

INGREDIENTS

Persimmon pulp (see above)

4 large eggs

2 ½ Cups buttermilk

¼ Cup unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ Cup sugar

1 ½ Cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

½ tsp. sea salt

Prepare a shallow 3-quart glass baking dish by coating the inside surfaces with butter. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in the persimmon pulp, then whisk in buttermilk and melted butter.

In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Once thoroughly mixed, add the dry ingredients to the persimmon mixture and whisk until well-blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Place baking sheet or foil under baking pan to catch possible overflow. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and it springs back when lightly pressed, about 50 minutes.

Serve the pudding warm or cold, with whipped cream* on top, if desired.

*To make whipped cream, pour some heavy cream into a bowl, add some powdered sugar and vanilla extract to taste, and whip until stiff peaks form.

Other References: www.persimmonpudding.com

Velcro Salad

Background: (source Wikipedia) After taking his dog for a walk one day in the early 1940s, George de Mestral, a Swiss inventor, became curious about the seeds of the burdock plant that had attached themselves to his clothes and to the dog's fur. Under a microscope, he looked closely at the hook-and-loop system that the seeds use to hitchhike on passing animals aiding seed dispersal, and he realized that the same approach could be used to join other things together.

Ingredients/Preparation:

2 burdock roots (gobō / 牛蒡 or ゴボウ) peeled and cut into bit-sized 3” julienne strips

Purchase at any Chinese market. Typically you will find them 2 per package. The roots are averagely 30+” long! This to help you spot it in the store and as a cautionary mention should you want to grow it in your garden. You’ll need a backhoe to dig them up. The good news...burdock has been used for centuries as a blood purifier clearing the bloodstream of some toxins.

4” Fresh ginger cut into fine julienne

Place in cooking pot

Apple cider to just cover

2 T good soy sauce

Stew on medium heat until crispy/tender

Serve cold garnished with watercress

Store refrigerated

NB: Keep away from the kids or it won’t last long