1/4 cup brandy, armagnac preferred
1/2 cup raisins
4 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup sugar, plus 2 tb
1 cup persimmon puree
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
3 egg whites
1 qt vanilla ice cream
Directions
1. Heat an oven to 300 degrees. In a small dish, combine brandy and
raisins.
2. In a bowl, combine melted butter, 1 cup sugar, persimmon pure,
pecans, nutmeg, clove and vanilla. Mix, then add flour, baking soda
and salt and mix again. Add the brandy and raisins.
3. Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle. Using a mixer or hand
beater, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Continue beating while
gradually adding remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until glossy,
stiff peaks form.
4. Fold this meringue into the persimmon mixture and pour it into a
greased 1-quart souffl mold or six to eight 4-ounce ramekins. Place
the mold in a high-sided pan, place in the oven and fill the pan
half-way with boiling water. Close the oven and bake for 45 minutes,
or until the center of the pudding is springy to the touch.
5. Serve from the mold along with scoops of vanilla ice cream or with
whipped cream.
by John Hogan, chef of Park Avenue Cafe, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Tribune, December 22, 1996
Servings: 6 servings
Chef John Hogan's Persimmon Pudding Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dessert; Meat
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to trace the history of written cooking instructions back into the distant past, certainly as far into history as the ancient Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. Having said that, in the main part, these old cookbooks were just basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for preparing meals.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are some tablets in Sumerian describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel blissful. Later on, there were two recipe books dating from the 14th Century : a recipe book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary named `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, these are not about the curry that is popular today, but rather descriptions of the types of meals prepared by the chefs of the rich and wealthy people of those days. Later on in the 1400s, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods, spices and herbs from the holy land, including basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new herbs and spices prompted an increase in manuscripts on food, many of which are now in private collections. For the next few years, the rich and powerful families of Wesstern Europe competed to offer the best banquets, and consequentially the best cooks and their collection of recipes were highly sought after. Even so, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that formal cookery and recipe collections rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, devoted much of their lives to collecting, verifying, and publishing the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the advent of the twentieth century, cookery publications are in great demand, due to better eduction, more leisure time and being a little richer. The introduction of the TV brings us TV cookery programs and the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes such as those found on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Chef John Hogan's Persimmon Pudding recipe.
