This dessert is a classic holiday dish in our family. It's similar to a plum pudding and we serve it with whipped cream, though hard sauce or vanilla ice cream is elegant.
3/4 | cups sugar |
1/2 | cup melted butter |
3/4 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
1/2 | teaspoon ground ginger |
2 | teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons water |
1 | teaspoon vanilla |
4 | ounces crystallized ginger, chopped in 1/4" pieces |
1 | cup persimmon pulp - approximately 2 medium 'Hachiya' or 8 to 10 American persimmons- peeled and seeded |
1 | cup all-purpose flour |
2 | eggs |
1/4 | teaspoon salt |
1 1/2 | teaspoons lemon juice |
1/2 | cup chopped slivered almonds |
Grease a plum pudding mold (or substitute a 2-pound coffee can and use aluminum foil to cover the can).
Prepare a large stew pot or other container large enough to comfortably fit the pudding mold. (You'll need an inch or two space around the outside of the mold to be able to fit your hands in when lowering the mold into the boiling water). Fill the stew pot with three inches of water and start heating it to simmer.
Mix the ingredients together in the above order. Pour the mixture into the mold and put the cover or aluminum foil on top.
Place the mold in the simmering water. If needed, add boiling water to bring the water level halfway up the mold. Cover the large pan and simmer on low for 2 1/2 hours. Watch to make sure the water level stays up; if needed add more boiling water.
Let pudding stand for an hour or so to cool to lukewarm. Carefully insert a sharp knife down the sides of the mold to slightly loosen the pudding. Place the serving plate on top of the mold and invert the pudding onto the plate. (If the pudding is too cool and will not come out, put the mold back into the hot water for a few minutes and try again). Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Serves 6 to 8
Recipe taken from Rosalind Creasy's upcoming Cooking for the Garden (Tuttle Press) cookbook, due out in January 2008.
For 25 years, the family-owned Victory Seed Company has provided the highest quality vegetable, herb and flower seeds to families across the country. We are passionate about providing you the best seeds available that give excellent germination, robust plants, and the harvest you want. With a catalog of over a thousand varieties, we have everything, and our prices are the kinds that we'd want to pay. We have hundreds of yesterday's heirloom vegetables, as well as today's award winning hybrid selections. Get to know us by visiting our website and browsing through our online vegetable seed catalog.