California Persimmon Pudding

Author Notes: Steamed persimmon pudding was a staple of Sunset Magazine and Bay Area Junior League cookbooks in the late 20th century. This version is slightly adapted from *Taste the Taste Seasons* by Linda Brandt, published by Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary to Children's Hospital at Stanford. It makes a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or Christmas when persimmons are in season. (If using Hachiya persimmons as recommended, make sure the fruit is completely soft and jelly-ripe to avoid the pucker factor of unripe persimmons.) —Miriam Bale
Serves 10
Steamed Persimmon Pudding
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3
very ripe Hachiya persimmons* [see note below]
-
1 1/2
teaspoons baking soda
-
1/2
cup butter (softened)
-
1 1/4
cups sugar (or to taste, adjusted according to sweetness of fruit and accompanying sauces)
-
2
lightly beaten eggs
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1 1/2
teaspoons vanilla
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1
tablespoon brandy (adjust to taste, up to 3 tablespoons)
-
1
teaspoon lemon juice
-
1
cup flour
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1 1/4
teaspoons cinnamon
-
1/4
teaspoon salt
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1/2
cup chopped walnuts
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1
cup raisins
- Grease a 2-quart pudding mold and its lid with butter or spray with nonstick spray. (You can substitute foil for the lid.)
- Peel persimmons and place in a blender or food processor. Whirl until smooth, then transfer to a measuring cup. You should have about 1 cup of purée. Stir in baking soda; set aside. [*Note these should be extremely ripe, almost gooey Hachiya persimmons, bought or picked well in advance. In a pinch, very soft chopped Fuya can be added or substituted. This is preferable to Hachiya that are not completely soft, which will be too bitter to use.]
- Cream butter with sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, lemon juice, brandy, and persimmon purée, whisking well to combine. [The persimmon purée will have hardened because of the baking soda, and may be difficult to incorporate. I find using the blender useful at this point, but some orange speckles in the mixture will still lead to a fine result.]
- Sift flour with cinnamon and salt into persimmon mixture. Stir to combine; fold in raisins and walnuts.
- Spoon mixture into prepared mold and secure lid (or cover tightly with foil). Place on a rack in a large pot filled with 2 inches of boiling water. Cover and steam for at least 2 1/2 hours, adding more boiling water as needed. Remove and set aside for ten minutes to cool.
- Invert pudding onto serving plate to unmold. Serve warm with traditional hard sauce or, as I prefer, with lightly sweetened whipped cream flavored with brandy to taste. Can also be served with Lemon Sauce (recipe below), as recommended in original recipe.
Lemon Sauce
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1/3
cup sugar
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1 1/2
teaspoons cornstarch (disolved in water)
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2/3
cup water
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2/3
cup orange juice
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2
teaspoons grated lemon zest
-
2
tablespoons fresh lemon juice
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2
tablespoons butter
- To make sauce, combine sugar, cornstarch, water and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes until thickened. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes longer or until sauce is transparent. Stir in zest, lemon juice, and butter. Cool.
- Offer lemon sauce separately. Consider doubling if it's the sole sauce offered. [Note: The sauce is delightful, though I think even better on French Toast, or with whipped cream on a meringue or simple cake.]
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Fruit|Dessert|Fall|Winter|Christmas|Thanksgiving
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5 months ago Jennifer E.
My great grandmother lived in L.A. and passed this same recipe with the lemon curd on to my mother and it has been part of our Thanksgiving/Christmas repetoire for the last 50 years. So fun to know it is unique to California, she must have seen it in the LA Times or Sunset!
over 1 year ago Margarita Uricoechea
To avoid problem mentioned in recipe with persimmons hardening I first creamed butter and had in separate bowls the eggs with brandy, the walnuts and the raisins. When it called for persimmons I then took out pulp and pureed it adding baking soda. Let it rest a few minutes then no problem adding fruit.
over 1 year ago Margarita Uricoechea
Delicious but mine fell apart. First tried steaming but instructions weren't clear. I couldn't get a rack inside a pot with cover. So steamed uncovered then baked. It fell apart but very tasty. I looked online and you can place a shallow bowl upside down in a pot so base of pudding tin doesn't have direct contact with heat. Then cover with lid. Other persimmon pudding recipes mention baking.
over 1 year ago carswell
I just put the pulp of 4 very ripe persimmons in the freezer. This recipe seems perfect for them.
over 1 year ago Gabriella
What kind of mold do you recommend? Would a glass dish work, or is a bundt pan better?
over 1 year ago PJ
My father made steamed Persimmon puddings (my parents lived in SF). I don’t remember where he got the recipe, but it was delicious. We would each get one to take home. One year we used the microwave to steam the puddings quicker. It worked like a charm. Now I have to find the recipe.
over 1 year ago Ttrockwood
I was born and raised in CA, visit often since my family has always lived there, and we even have a persimmon tree. But i have never ever seen persimmon pudding on a restaurant menu, in a bakery, at a holiday dinner, or offered at friends' homes....it may have been popular at one point but certainly not in the past 30yrs or so
over 1 year ago Miriam Bale
Where in California? Were your parents & grandparents born there? I've heard feedback from others who have this as a family tradition, but mostly people saying their mothers or grandmothers made it.
Anyway, how lucky to have a persimmon tree in the family. You should try it!
over 1 year ago Claire Swarthout
Maybe it's just the part of CA you lived in? I had a lovely persimmon pudding at the restaurant Camino in Oakland a few weeks ago!
over 1 year ago antjas
Did you really mean 1 tablespoon beaten eggs?
over 1 year ago Miriam Bale
No, formatting error! Thanks for catching. (It should be two eggs.)
Showing 11 out of 11 comments