Last week my friend Cindy called and asked if I'd like some persimmons. She bought a bag of persimmons at the market, but they had very tough skin and weren't super sweet despite being completely ripe. I said as long as she was sure she did not want them, I'll take them and figure out what to do with them. That's how I inherited ten persimmons.
Typically, I love persimmons: I have memories of eating them when I was a little girl in Russia. But these were definitely not the prettiest or tastiest persimmons I've seen. I decided to bake with them. That's how I found a recipe for Persimmon Bread on Cooking Books blog.
Of course I had to make a few changes: that's just how I roll :) First, I made the bread recipe into muffins; I also added lemon yogurt and a bit of sour cream instead of plain yogurt, took out cinnamon and added some lemon zest. My recipe is below.
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
3/4 cups lemon chiffon yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
3 persimmons, peeled, pureed
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
3. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest.
4. In a separate bowl combine yogurt, sour cream, pureed persimmons, oil, egg and vanilla.
5. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fill your muffins tins.
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool before serving.
As for the taste: you could definitely taste the lemon zest. The persimmon flavor wasn't strong: not sure if it's because of the persimmons themselves, or because the lemon was a bit overwhelming. Next time I'd definitely add some cubed persimmons into the mix for an added texture element.
Overall, this is a great treat for breakfast, brunch or as a snack.
Other than the typical banana bread, what do you bake with over-ripe fruit?
I've never baked with persimmons, how fun! The muffin looks very pretty!
ReplyDeletei've never had a persimmon and never thought to bake with one, but this just "sounds" yummy :) great photos too! i like the idea of baking with fruit that doesn't look so good.
ReplyDeleteAh, persimmons! I love them too but am not always sure what to do with them besides eat them plain. I always want to bake with them so thanks for posting this recipe, I'll definitely bookmark it.
ReplyDeleteI baked persimmon once long time ago, unfortunately my family prefer to eat eat them (Fuyu) while they are still crunchy. You did a good job of creating this recipe Olga, the photos look fabulous as usual.
ReplyDeleteI've never tasted persimmons, but these are very pretty.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, they look good. I've had persimmons in things, but never cooked with them myself. Are they in season now? They're not something I usually find at the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love your lemon variation! I'll try that next time!
ReplyDeleteCan't say I've ever had a persimmon. What do they taste like?
ReplyDeletejust found your blog. I am on the same pages as many of your commenters - I have never tasted a persimmon. But I do want to try them. I hear of them more often now.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued by this flavor combination--sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful breakfast treat! I love that you used lemon yogurt. My mom makes persimmon bread that I love. I bet these are just as good.
ReplyDeleteI love persimmons too! Was the muffin very moist? It looks like that a bit. (I love moist by the way but am just wondering!)
ReplyDeleteI really need to try a persimmon. As soon as I see them at the store...
ReplyDeleteThose look really good!
ReplyDeleteMy great-aunt has a persimmon tree and recently gave me a huge bag-full--way more than two people can eat. I love persimmon in salads (preferably with arugula, goat cheese, green onions, toasted almonds and a good vinaigrette ... mmmmm), and I ended up bringing some to my in-laws' when we went for Christmas and I made an upside-down persimmon cake, which was DELICIOUS. And--I was surprised--none of my in-laws had ever had a persimmon before!