Persimmon Jam

As promised! I found the sugar proportions for this recipe on a website which claimed that Hachiya persimmons are bad for jam-making because heating them brings back the tannins (tannicity?). I had a dozen Hachiyas in the other room, so I took the sugar-to-fruit proportions but not the advice. The result: decidedly good!

6 smallish Hachiya persimmons - jelly soft (about 2.25 cups)
3/4c sugar
juice of one lemon
splash of vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

This was the easiest jam I've made yet.
First, stick a small plate in the freezer (do this in advance if you remember). Scoop out the persimmon pulp using Heather's spoon method (see previous post), and put in a pan with the other ingredients. Turn on med-high heat, meanwhile get your jars boiling in another pot. Once the persimmon pulp mix comes to a boil, stir constantly and keep the heat high for about ten minutes, or until the mix has expanded and shrunk back. When it seems to be getting nice and thick, grab your frozen plate and put a drop of the jam onto it, then turn the plate sideways: if the drop dribbles, put the plate back in the freezer keep boiling. Do this until the drop stays set on the plate when tilted, it might take a few tries and some extra cooking time. My mix took about 10 minutes of rapid boiling to get a good set. Pour the mix into your hot, boiled jars, screw the lids on reasonably tight and place them upside-down to cool. This recipe filled two 8-oz jars, plus a little extra for immediate snacking.

The tannic taste does come back a little bit when these persimmons are heated, but the result is smooth and sweet and not harsh at all. Rather than having a harsh stringent aftertaste, the jam has a mild tannic quality throughout. That said, it's a bit of a stretch to call it a tannic flavor though, and it really balances the sugar well. The cinnamon is a nice accent, although the vanilla does not shine through. Adding the vanilla at the end (after cooking) would protect that flavor a bit more.

Delicious!

Persimmon Bread

This recipe is adapted from one that Google turned up. It had considerably less butter and sugar than some other recipes I found, and it could probably stand to have even less sugar in it ... or maybe use honey instead.

2c. unbleached white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1c. persimmon slices (two medium-small persimmons)
1c. sugar
1/2c. milk
2 eggs
1/4c. softened butter
1/2c. chopped toasted pecans
1/2c raisins (golden and thompson)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix together the dry ingredients, using what spices you like (the ones above are estimates of what I used) and sifting the baking soda/powder so it's not clumpy. A great trick for people who hate to sift: I use a small tea strainer, which is just the right size to sift a couple tsp of something quickly. Beat the eggs with the sugar and milk, and add the softened butter. Beat togther well, then mix into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the raisins and pecans and fold those in. Pour this into a buttered loaf pan and sprinkle a little extra sugar over it - it makes the top a little extra sweet and crunchy. The recipe I was working from called for 45 minutes in the oven, but my loaf took about 65 minutes total. The result was a little crunchy at the edges, but perfectly moist inside. If you were using a brownie pan instead of a loaf pan, 45 minutes might be just perfect.

A note about persimmons:
I'm really intrigued by persimmons. They are simultaneously beautiful, delicious, and quietly repellent all at once. I love the rich color, and the sweet apricoty taste when they are ripe, but I can't stand the stringent aftertaste of the acorn-shaped variety (Hachiya). These ones are great for baking, and also great for eating (when VERY soft) if you can stand the tannic aftertaste (I can't). I waited until I thought my persimmons were perhaps too ripe and even beginning to pucker, but they turned out to be just perfect. The non-astringent ones (Fuyu, or others) much less tannic and can be eaten sooner, but I've never baked with them. I'm not sure how a crisper, younger Fuyu persimmon would turn out in bread or pudding form - anyone else have experience with this?

Up next: Persimmon Jam!