After coming to in the U.S., persimmons did not appear on my radar until I moved to San Francisco. The local Chinatown grocery markets not only carry the Hachiya persimmons, they also have the Fuyu variety which I had not come across before. It was then that I found out that persimmon trees grow in America, but most of the time, the fruits are left hanging on the trees to look like ornaments for the holidays. <\/span><\/p>\n I bought the \u201cBeard on Bread\u201d cookbook to learn how to bake and found that it included a recipe for persimmon bread. The ingredients made it sound like it is for a fruitcake until I baked it for the first time. That was the start of a very beautiful relationship! For the last 20 years, I would start baking persimmon bread around Thanksgiving to serve at parties and to give as holiday gifts to friends and family. Everyone seems to want more of this \u201cfruitcake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Makes two 9-inch loaf pans <\/em> Ingredients:<\/span><\/p>\n 3-1\/2 cup all-purpose flour Instructions:<\/span><\/p>\n – Sift all five dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. <\/span><\/p>\n – Make a well in the center and add the melted butter, eggs, Cognac, persimmon puree, and, if you like, the nuts and raisins.<\/span><\/p>\n – Mix the dough until it is quite smooth.<\/span><\/p>\n – Butter and flour two loaf pans, fill them about three-fourths full, and bake for one hour at 350 degrees (F) or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. ***<\/span>If you use mini-loaf pans, it makes 6 loaves, bur reduce baking time to 45 minutes and test for doneness<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n – Cool the loaves in the pan and turn out on a rack.<\/span><\/p>\n – Wrap in foil after cooling if you wish to keep them. They will keep nicely from 1 to 2 weeks and very good toasted for tea or breakfast. The Persimmon Breads take well to being frozen, too.<\/span><\/p>\n Source:<\/span> James Beard\u2019s \u201cBeard on Bread\u201d<\/p>\n Name: Eleanor Chang Class Year: 1978 Country of Residence: United States Why is this recipe great? What\u2019s its backstory? In Hong Kong where I grew up, Hachiya persimmons are almost … Continue reading Persimmon Bread<\/span> Persimmon Bread<\/h5>\n
\nTakes approx. 15 minutes to assemble and 60 minutes in the oven***<\/em><\/p>\n
\n1-1\/2 teaspoons salt
\n2 teaspoons baking soda
\n1 teaspoon ground mace
\n2 to 2.5 cups granulated sugar *note: my preference is 2 cups or slightly less, especially if you add the raisins
\n1 cup melted butter, and cooled to room temperature
\n4 eggs, lightly beaten
\n2\/3 cup Cognac or bourbon *note: my preference is VSOP Cognac, expensive but worth it
\n2 cups persimmon puree (the pulp of about 4 medium, very ripe persimmons – not necessary to peel) *note: I only use very ripe Hachiya persimmons although you can use Fuyu persimmons too if they are very ripe.
\n2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
\n2 cups raisins (optional)<\/p>\n![\"Persimmon](\"http:\/\/new.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu\/europe\/files\/2020\/12\/Eleanor-Changs-picture--169x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"