Persimmon Pudding

From the book The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis

Serves

4 to 5

Introduction

Uncultivated persimmons are more delicious after a frost has fallen on them — and the ones around us were at their best just about Christmastime. Uncultivated ones are not as juicy but they are more tasty and darker when frostbitten.

Ingredients

	4	oz. suet
	⅔	cup freshly grated bread crumbs, without the crust
	½	cup hot milk
	1	packed cup brown sugar
	¼	cup flour
	3	eggs, separated
	¼	tsp. salt
	1	tsp. cinnamon
	1	tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
	½	tsp. mace
	4	large cultivated persimmons (triple the number if using wild persimmons)
	¼	cup rum
	2	tsp. baking powder

Steps

1. Remove all tissue and skin from the suet and chop it finely with a chopping knife. Remove the crust from enough slices of white bread to make ⅔ cup grated. (Grating bread against the large holes of a box grater makes much lighter crumbs; it is quick and easy, too.) Put the crumbs into a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot milk over the crumbs and leave them to stand a few minutes. Add the chopped suet, mix well, add sugar and flour and stir.
2. Beat the egg yolks and add them to the suet-crumb mixture; stir well. Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace, stirring after each addition. Cut the persimmons in half, remove the seeds, and scoop out the pulp. You should have about 2½ cups; add it to the suet-crumb mixture. Add the rum and baking powder. Lastly, beat the egg whites until stiff, fold them into the mixture, and spoon the mixture into a pudding mold.
3. Cover and set the mold into a container of boiling water. Steam for 1½ hours. Remove from burner and leave to cool in mold. Reheat by steaming again on a slow burner for 1 hour. Serve hot with Clear Sauce.

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