Persimmon Pudding
Adapted from Food for Thought—Healing Foods to Savor
This fruit-rich dessert is something like the traditional plum pudding, but truly delicious. Very moist and rich-tasting, though relatively low in fat! It’s made with the more oblong Hachiya persimmons, which must be very ripe and soft when used or they will pucker your lips. You can substitute pureed mango (about 2 ripe & very soft mangos).
- 2 tbsp. butter, softened
- 4 large ripe (very soft) Hachiya persimmons (about 2 cups cut up/mashed)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (whole-wheat pastry flour preferred)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup lowfat (2%) milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Place butter into an 8-cup covered casserole and microwave until melted. Swish butter around to coat casserole and scrape rest into the bowl of a food processor.
To prepare the pudding, cut the stem off and remove the fibrous section in the center. Scoop the pulp out (leaving the skin behind), and add the pulp to the butter in the food processor bowl.
Add the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, sugar, egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat into a thin batter.
Stir in the raisins.
Let sit for a minute or two to allow baking soda to bubble up … this prevents a bitter aftertaste from soda. The batter may “gel” a little … no problem.
Turn into the buttered casserole dish, cover tightly and bake on a cookie sheet (to prevent spills) at 350-degrees F. for one hour. Best if served warm.
Makes 10 portions. Each portion provides about 190 calories, 3 g protein, 3 g fat (2g sat), 28 mg cholesterol, 39g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 217 mg sodium, 212 mg potassium, 40 mg calcium, 14 mg magnesium.