A holiday recipe worth sharing: Persimmon Pudding

Have you been confronted with persimmons in your produce department and wondered what on earth one does with them?  My family has a recipe that was gifted to us back in the 1960’s that has been a part of our holiday table ever since.  We love to turn persimmons into pudding.  And our recipe is as follows:1 cup persimmon pulp (1 very ripe medium persimmon) This can take weeks!  So you may want to find one at the market soon.1 tsp. cinnamon3/4 c sugar1/2 c milk3/4 tsp. vanilla1/4 tsp. almond extract1 c flour1 Tbsp. oil1/4 tsp. salt2 tsp. soda1/2 c chopped walnuts1.  Put persimmon pulp in Cuisinart or blender and blend briefly2.  Sift dry ingredients and mix everything together.3.  Steam in buttered double boiler about 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  You can also divide the batter into buttered half pint sized mason jars and steam them in a very large pot for the same amount of time.  Let it sit in pan (or jar) until cool.4.  Remove from pan and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, and then warm before serving.  We often snipped a sprig of holly from a bush we had growing in the back yard and decorated the pudding as it was served.Hard Sauce:1-1/2 c confectioners’ sugar1-1/2 c butter3 Tbsp. whiskey or rumBlend in Cuisinart.  Spoon into a serving dish and refrigerate until ready to serve.  (removing the sauce from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before dessert is served will make it easier to scoop).Enjoy!All of us at My Sister Knits which you and yours a very happy and delicious Christmas.