Anyways, I had a bit of time on Sunday before having to rush out to go to the Sew L.A. event. I knew I had to cook something for this week, even though I didn't have time to go shopping for more ingredients and we had to get out of the house quick! The time limit, plus the fact that I had to use a "secret ingredient" made me feel like I was on Iron Chef.
And this week's secret ingredient was...
Persimmon!
Before the holidays, my mom went to a farm in Porterville and brought back all kinds of fresh fruits & veggies. She must have come back with a hundred persimmons, so I knew that I would eventually get my hands on some really ripe ones if I was patient!
Anyways, I scoured Pinterest and remembered that I had already pinned a Persimmon Spice Tea Cake from Desserts for Breakfast. It just looked sooo lovely! Mine is a bit more, uh, rustic?
 |
| Cake made by a professional |
 |
| And one made by an amateur... |
I didn't have another Bundt pan, so the rest became a lovely persimmon spice tea loaf!
I knew that even if I doubled the recipe I'd still have a TON of persimmons left, and I thought four cakes might be just a bit too much (especially with New Year's resolutions still fresh).
A quick search for persimmon led me to a Persimmon & Cranberry Baked Oatmeal recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon. I had very ripe persimmons that didn't hold its shape well after mixing and I only had dried cranberries.
It doesn't look great, but it tastes super yummy!
I definitely recommend both recipes, but if you're expecting strong persimmon flavor, you'll be disappointed. The baked oatmeal may work better with less ripe fruit, so if you have mushy fruit go with the spice cake.
Next time, I'm going to try a jam recipe but for right now, I have tons of cake to devour!
Rather than juice persimmons, I like to freeze them in mason jars. Cut them in half and scrape out the flesh. Leave an inch at the top for expansion. You can also freeze them whole and pull them out one by one when you need a little sweetness. I gave up sugar and only use persimmons and banana to sweeten.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Great suggestion, because although I obviously use sugar, I am trying to turn to more natural sweeteners. Someone had suggested making a confiture, but that would have required tons of sugar.
DeleteNow, to grab the last batch of persimmons and a bunch of mason jars!
I live in San Diego and have been trying to get persimmon all January...but nothing, no matter where I check! They dried up here in December and Im so sad it'll be another year now!
ReplyDeleteOh no!
DeleteWell, I'm a bit more north than you, but I saw them all over the place in the international supermarkets I go to across LA & Orange County. The farm my mom went to was in Central California, so if the same thing happens next year take a road trip up and do some persimmon picking with the family!
I actually have my last super, super ripe persimmons waiting for me make something out of them tomorrow. They're just too soft to eat whole now. I'll cook them in your honor!