Many grocery stores feature persimmons at this time of year, so how about an easy recipe to help you take advantage of the fruit? Steamed Persimmon Pudding is more like what Americans think of as a cake rather than the stuff that you make from a box and eat with a spoon. The "pudding" steams on the stove for about 45 minutes and comes out moist, dark, and incredibly delicious. Redolent of sweet spices and orange, the "pudding" almost melts in your mouth. One key thing to keep in mind when preparing to make the "pudding"/cake is that your persimmons need to be squishy soft. As they ripen, the persimmons become sweeter, so don't worry about the squish factor. It's good in this case. The persimmons don't have a pronounced flavor, but they'll lend sweetness and moisture to the cake. This is an unusual dessert and would be a great ending to a family dinner or a fancy dinner party. The "pudding" can be dressed up as little or as much as you like. You don't need frosting for the "pudding"/cake, but a little ice cream or whipped topping alongside would "gild the lily." Also, if you have firm Fuyu persimmons on hand, you can peel and slice thinly a Fuyu or two to decorate your dessert plates.
Steamed Persimmon Pudding -- Serves 8+
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 1/4 cup of persimmon pulp
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 teaspoon of grated orange zest
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
Coat an 8-inch round bundt or ring pan with non-stick cooking spray (the kind with flour is best). Place a Dutch oven on the stove and put in an inverted aluminum pie tin. Add enough water to reach about 3/4 of the way to the top of the inverted pie tin. Place the prepared ring pan on top of the inverted pie tin and make sure the ring pan sits level. In a large bowl, whisk together well the oil, persimmon pulp/puree, sugars, eggs, vanilla, orange zest, and orange juice. Stir the dry ingredients together and then stir them into the wet ingredients until everything is moistened. Add the nuts and raisins of you'd like. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Cover the Dutch oven and turn the heat on to high until the water in the Dutch oven comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low so that the water gently simmers. Let the "pudding" cook in the covered Dutch oven for about 45 minutes or until a pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove the top of the Dutch oven and let the pudding rest in the Dutch oven until it's cool enough for you to remove it safely. After removing the "pudding" from the Dutch oven, let it cool another 15-20 minutes and then invert it onto a serving plate. You can dust the "pudding" with confectioner's sugar if you like or serve the "pudding" plain with ice cream, whipped cream, or fruit alongside.
