Monday, October 25, 2010

An Alternative to the Great Pumpkin - Persimmon Spice Bread



I am lucky enough to have a persimmon tree in my front yard. Persimmons are strange little fruit that take FOREVER to ripen. If you pluck a green one from the tree early in the summer and bite into it, it will suck all the saliva from your soul. Seriously. But if you wait for them to turn orange then more and more orange until the skin begins to take on the transparency and delicacy of a tomato then you are in for a treat. Like I said they are a strange little fruit, tomato-y in texture but with the sweet, mellow flavor of a fig crossed with a pear (at least in my opinion.)

They make lovely bread and muffins and even martinis as recently featured on the wonderful blog Lisa is Cooking. It was a little too early in the day (10 am) for me to make martinis with mine so I chose a quick bread recipe from All Recipes, added some orange zest and ground cloves, and ate a warm slice covered in butter.

Persimmon Spice Bread
* Adapted from All Recipes
* This bread does get a little dark around the edges. Don't fear - this is normal, yet be sure to not over bake.
* You could probably substitute pumpkin for the persimmons if they are not available to you.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 cup persimmon pulp (skin and seeds removed)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup dried cranberries
zest of 1 orange

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a 9 x 4 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, cloves, salt, nuts, and cranberries.

In a large bowl, blend eggs, sugar, and oil. Mix baking soda into pulp, and add to sugar mixture. Fold in flour mixture. Finally stir in orange zest being careful to not over mix. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 55 minutes then test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife (it should come out free of wet batter.) If not ready, return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes and check again.

15 comments:

Zoe said...

persimmon bread! very innovative! Sound nice too!

Unknown said...

I can honestly say that I have never seen a persimmon. The bread looks wonderful though...I know I'd gobble it down!!

Angie's Recipes said...

I haven't tried using persimmon in the baking....the cake looks so moist and satisfying.
And I like the dish you used for the persimmons. Very special.

Unknown said...

Is is ever too early for martinis? Ok -yes! But this bread looks delicious! I have never cooked with Persimmon but am inspired by your post -what a beautiful fruit and you are lucky to have that tree! :)

lisaiscooking said...

I think I enjoy persimmons more each year. Your spice bread looks great, and I'm jealous of your tree!

(And, thanks so much for the mention!)

Natalie said...

They are such a pretty fruit! I don't know if I've ever tried one though.

blackbookkitchendiaries said...

persimmom bread sounds really good. i should go out and get some and try this out. thank you for sharing.

Judy said...

I've never tasted a persimmon, but your recipe sounds wonderful, wish I could try it.

Pam said...

So creative and tasty! I love persimmons.

Anonymous said...

I've never had persimmons before but I bet this is the best way to try it out :)

Unknown said...

Hi,

A great looking bread...:)Yummy yum...

Dr.Sameena@

www.myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.com

Jami said...

This reminds me of my Grandfather. Thanks for the recipe.

April said...

i've never tried one, but i laughed out loud at your line about sucking the saliva from your soul!!!

Shaheen said...

I've asked a fellow blogger if persimmons are what we know in the U.K as Sharon fruit. If so, then I did not like them very much. But yours is the second recipe i've seen that is making me want to try them again. I may just change my mind about them. And I think this could be the recipe to convert me to them too. Very inventive.

Dining Table Gal said...

Pepperoni Wheels These are Yammi I love to eat and others I must make some other day. Thanks for your hard work. you are doing a grate job.