Recipe: Persimmon date-walnut tea bread uses super-ripe fruit
This tea bread uses about four very ripe persimmons, of either variety. Debbie Arrington
Date-walnut tea bread is a California-grown favorite representing both ends of the state. Our dates come from Indio; walnuts represent Sacramento Valley.
Persimmons – super-ripe like sacks of jelly – give date-nut tea bread a seasonal twist and fruity moistness. Plus the bright orange fruit adds some extra antioxidants, another bonus.
After harvesting a prolific Fuyu persimmon crop that’s finally at that jelly-soft stage, I appreciate recipes that use several fruit. (We can eat only so many cookies.) This tea bread recipe takes about four persimmons per large loaf.
Super-ripe Hachiya persimmons (the pointy kind) also can be used in this recipe.
Persimmon date-walnut tea bread
Makes 1 large loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup ripe persimmon pulp, mashed
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground mace
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions:
Prepare a 9-by-5-by-3-inch baking pan; lightly grease and line with parchment paper, if desired. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, stir together mashed persimmon pulp and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until well blended. With an electric mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time.
Add persimmon pulp to butter-sugar mixture; blend until smooth. Stir in cognac, if desired.
In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and mace. Add flour mixture by thirds to persimmon mixture, stirring after each addition. Fold in chopped dates and walnuts.
Transfer batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 80 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Check for doneness after 70 minutes.
Let cool in the pan at least 10 minutes before removing. Slicing is easier if the loaf is fully cool.
Store in the refrigerator.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
FALL
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
WINTER
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden checklist for week of Dec. 14
Rain is due midweek, but there should be some partly sunny breaks between rain clouds, especially Thursday. Make the most of those opportunities and show your garden some TLC.
* Brighten the holidays with winter bloomers such as poinsettias, amaryllis, calendulas, Iceland poppies, pansies and primroses.
* Keep poinsettias in a sunny, warm location. Water thoroughly. After the holidays, feed your plants monthly so they’ll bloom again next December.
* Rake and remove dead leaves and stems from dormant perennials.
* Rake and compost leaves from trees, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Clear gutters and storm drains.
* Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Plant bulbs at two-week intervals to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* Seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while they’re dormant.
* Clean and sharpen garden tools before storing for the winter.
* Bare-root season begins. Plant bare-root berries, kiwifruit, grapes, artichokes, horseradish and rhubarb.
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