Recipe: Lemon-persimmon muffins with lemon glaze
A light lemon glaze is the finishing touch for these delicious muffins. Debbie Arrington
This muffin is a crossover treat, combining a late fall fruit with the first fruit of winter.
My homegrown Fuyu persimmons are finally at that super-ripe, sack-full-of-jelly stage needed for baked goods – just in time for my first ripe lemons of citrus season.
Put together, these two fruits complement each other – especially with the luscious fresh lemon glaze. Studded with chopped dates (or raisins), these moist muffins are sweet enough without the topping, too. They’re perfect for on-the-go breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack. With the glaze, they also can be a dessert.
As with all muffins, stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture just enough to moisten; otherwise, the muffins can be tough.
Lemon-persimmon muffins with lemon glaze
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
2/3 cup persimmon pulp, pureed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon baking soda
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup chopped dates or raisins (optional)
1 large egg
½ cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated
For glaze:
1 tablespoon butter
Juice of ½ lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest from ½ lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare muffin tin; either grease cups or line with paper or silicone liners.
In a bowl or large mixing cup, combine persimmon pulp with lemon juice. Stir in baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Stir in chopped dates or raisins, if desired. Set aside.
In another bowl, lightly beat egg with a fork. Add sugar, then milk. Fold in melted butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon zest, then persimmon pulp-lemon juice mixture.
Add persimmon mixture all at once to flour mixture, stirring just enough to moisten flour. Batter will be lumpy.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, about two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees about 15 to 20 minutes until muffin tops are golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Remove muffins from the oven and let cool on a rack.
Prepare glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add lemon juice and zest. Remove from heat and add sifted powdered sugar. Beat by hand until smooth and desired consistency. Add a little more lemon juice to thin if needed.
Glaze muffins, if desired. Store covered and refrigerated.
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Garden Checklist for week of May 5
Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:
* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.
* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.
* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.