This is a sampling of some of the persimmon recipes we've run across, and we're providing them here by popular demand.  Over the last several months, the response to our homepage about Pawpaws, Persimmons, Elderberries, etc has been somewhat overwhelming.  While we emphasized Pawpaws and recipes thereof, there has been strong interest in Persimmon recipes.   Still the best single source for native plant info, lore and recipes is Euell Gibbon's Stalking the Wild Asparagus. If you don't own it you should. Another excellent cookbook containing persimmon recipes is Mark F. Sohn's Mountain Country Cooking.  Finally, there are a couple of persimmon recipe books that are only available from small independent publishers.  They are "Persimmon Recipes" by Dymple Green, available for $4 from Dymple's Delight, Rt 4, Box 53, Mitchell, IN 47446 and, "Old Fashioned Persimmon Recipes", available for around $4 from    Bear Wallow Books,           7172 North Keystone Ave., Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46240.   So anyway, here goes.  Hope you find something here you really like.

Persimmon Recipes

Fitzpatrick Persimmon Pudding

Marguerite Hager's Persimmon Pudding

Persimmon Cake

Persimmon Pie

Persimmon Cookies

Persimmon Whip

Persimmon Cream Pie

Heavenly Persimmon Ice Cream Pie

Brown County Persimmon Fudge

Persimmon Jam

The following four recipes work best with the Asian type persimmon:

Persimmon Marmalade

Jellied Persimmon Salad

Persimmon-Almond Loaf with Orange Glaze

Persimmon Bread

Fitzpatrick Persimmon Pudding

• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup evaporated milk (canned)
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup cooking oil

Combine pulp, sugar and eggs.  Stir baking soda into buttermilk.  Add both milks to batter, then add the dry ingredients. Last add the vanilla and oil.  Transfer batter to an oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish or pan and bake in a preheated 325-degree oven one hour.  This pudding will rise high and, when cool, fall some.  It breaks away from the pan.

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Persimmon Cake

• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Steam the persimmons just enough to loosen the seeds, but not enough to dissolve the skins.  Run them through a food mill to take out seeds and skins.  Measure 2 cups.  Put pulp in the large bowl of mixer and mix the soda with it.  Sift or stir together remaining dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients, milk, eggs and butter to the persimmon pulp and beat five minutes at medium speed.  Turn batter into two greased and floured 8-inch layer cake pans and bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven 60 to 70 minutes or until cake tests done.  The cake will be a little chewy in the center, but absolutely delicious; turn out of pans and cool layers thoroughly before frosting.

Persimmon-Caramel Frosting

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup persimmon pulp
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• About 5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup chopped nuts garnish (optional)

Melt butter in saucepan, Add brown sugar, and bring to boil.  Add pulp and spices;boil again, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat, and add enough confectioners' sugar to make desired consistency for spreading. Beat several minutes, and frost cake.  If desired, press chopped nuts into sides of icing while still soft.

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Persimmon Pie

• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• Cinnamon to taste
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Combine egg, milk, sugar, salt, cornstarch, cinnamon and pulp.  Pour mixture into pie shell and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 50 to 60 minutes longer.  Serve with whipped cream.

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Persimmon Cookies

• 1 cup persimmon pulp
• 1 cup nuts
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 tsp soda, dissolved in pulp
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg, soda and persimmon pulp.  Add dry ingredients, nuts and raisins.  Drop with teaspoon on greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes in 350-375 oven.  Makes approx. 90 cookies.

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Persimmon Whip

• 1/2 cup persimmon pulp
• 2 env unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 cup persimmon pulp
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs whites, beaten stiff

Put 1/2 cup persimmon pulp into the top of a double boiler.  Sprinkle gelatin over it an let it soak for 5 minutes.  Heat over boiling water; stir until gelatin is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Add honey, lemon juice, remaining persimmon pulp and salt.  Pour into a bowl and cool. Refrigerate until almost set.  Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.  Pour into serving dish and refrigerate several hours until it is set.  Yields 6 servings.

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Persimmon Cream Pie

Beat 2 eggs with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt.  Add 2 cups milk or cream, 1 cup persimmon pulp, 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake in very hot oven (450) 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 and bake 30 minutes longer.  Let cool before slicing.

This recipe is from the Northwoods Nursery catalog (27635 S Oglesby Rd, Canby OR 97013).

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Heavenly Persimmon Ice Cream Pie

• 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• Spread ice cream in graham cracker pie shell and shill in freezer.  Combine pulp with the 1 1/2 cups sugar, salt, spices and vanilla.  Fold in 1 cup Cool Whip.  Pour mixture over ice cream in pie shell.  Cover with foil and freeze 4 hours.  Remove from freezer and garnish with remaining 1/2 cup of Cool Whip and almonds..

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Brown County Persimmon Fudge

• 1 cup persimmon pulp
• 6 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter (or margarine)

Combine pulp, sugar, milk and syrup in large sauce pan.  Cook slowly 1 1/2 to 2 hrs until mixture reaches soft ball stage or (230 degrees F) Cool to lukewarm.  Stir often.  Add butter.  Beat well.  When mixture begins to thicken, stir in 1 cup chopped nuts.  Spread in buttered 8 1/2 x 13 inch pan.

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Persimmon Jam (From the Ortho Canning Book - 1982 and sent to us by M. Schoewe)

• 4# (about 10 very large) persimmons (these are obviously Oriental Persimmons)

• 4 c sugar

Cut persimmons in half & scrape out the pulp.  Put pulp through a food mill to puree.  Measure out 4 c. pulp.  Put pulp & sugar into a pot & stir well until thick - about 30 minutes.  Keep below boiling point or the jam will become bitter

Ladle jam into jars & seal with melted paraffin or process.  The jam will thicken after it cooks.

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Persimmon Marmalade

• 1 quart peeled persimmons

• 1 c water

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Sugar

Combine persimmons and water.  Boil to a thick pulp, add juice of lemon and cup of sugar to each quart of pulp.  Boil 10 minutes longer.  Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

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Marguerite Hager's Persimmon Pudding
This new recipe was sent in by R. Dennis Hager from Maryland. It looks great.

• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup melted butter

Blend ingredients well, adding butter last.  Pour in greased 9 x 12 pan and bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

Dennis says, "This pudding is very rich.  It keeps well and the flavor continues to develop.  It is best when 2-3 days old.  The crust has a great flavor.  The next time I make it, I'm going to try smaller pans, so there will be more crust!"

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Jellied Persimmon Salad

• 1 small package orange gelatin
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add persimmon pulp and lemon juice. Cool, then fold in celery. Pour into oiled ring mold or individual molds and chill

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Persimmon-Almond Loaf with Orange Glaze This recipe and the next one for Persimmon Loaf were sent to us by Andi in California (Thanks Andi) "Fragrant and fruity, this persimmon loaf is my variation on an old-fashioned date tea bread.  With its sweet and nutty flavors, it is a favorite of both children and adults for brunch or for lunch with chicken salad.  Orange Glaze makes a perfect topping for this quick bread..."

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 large ripe persimmons (about 1 pound)
• 8 Tbs ( 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 C dried apricots or peaches, chopped
• 1/2 C toasted sliced almonds

First, adjust an oven rack to the middle shelf and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch loaf pan.  Second, sift together the flour, baking            soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg into a mixing bowl.  Set aside.                       Next, peel the persimmon and scoop the flesh into a medium-size mixing bowl.                           Mash with a fork.  Set aside.  Now, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and                          sugar at medium high speed until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until thoroughly combined.  Add the persimmon pulp, sour cream, and almond extract.  Blend at low    speed to combine the ingredients.  The mixture will look curdled.  Add the sifted flour mixture,   1/2 cup at a time, and beat at low speed until the batter is smooth, stopping occaisionally to      scrape down the sides of the work bowl with a spatula.  Fold in the chopped apricots and toasted almonds.  The batter will be very dense and sticky.  Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about       one hour.  Cool the bread in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes before unmolding.                     Unmold and spread with Orange Glaze.

Orange Glace 

• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 C fresh orange juice
• 1/2 C thawed frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

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Persimmon Bread

• 1 C persimmon pulp
• 1/2 C chopped persimmon
• 1/2 C butter
• 1 C sugar
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 3/4 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 C nuts

Mix together butter, sugar and eggs. Sift together dry ingredients except baking soda, which you add to persimmon pulp.  Add persimmon pulp.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Add chopped persimmon and nuts.  Pour into buttered  8 x 11 inch pan and bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees, or until toothpick inserted in middle of loaf comes out clean.  Andi says this is very good.

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