persimmon pudding

Chapel Hill chef Bill Smith’s persimmon pudding bakes a puréed-persimmon and buttermilk batter in a surrounding water bath. PBS presents this recipe from his book Seasoned in the South, with nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon seasoning the fruit.

Persimmons pass through a food mill or sieve to remove the seeds and produce purée. The purée mixes with buttermilk, while the remaining butter is beaten with sugar and three eggs enter one at a time.

The persimmon mixture is stirred into the butter mixture by hand. All-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger and cinnamon are sifted together and folded into it.

The batter goes into a pan greased with the separate tablespoon of butter. That pan sits in a larger pan of warm water and bakes uncovered until the centre is firm and the pudding pulls away from its pan.

Smith serves the persimmon pudding hot, with fresh whipped cream offered as an optional accompaniment. The milk-enriched fruit batter and its three spices make up this baked version.