Persimmon bread--An episode that you'll never find on HGTV

The day that Barb, her room mate Sherry, and I went on the homes tour in Redlands, we spotted some persimmons for sale in front of a house down the street from Barb's.  Well, Vince's mom has given me persimmons over the years and I love them.  So when I saw they were five for $1, I snapped them up.

There are two persimmon trees in this yard, one on either side of the walkway.

Here's the persimmons; there is a coffee can with a slit in the lid to collect the money.

Sherry had never tried persimmons so when we got back to Barb's house, I cut one in slices.  Well, they were terrible--sour, bitter, and they made you pucker up.  We spit them out.  I mean you couldn't even swallow them, they were so bad.

I went on-line and did a little research and found that there are several varieties.  The fruit that I purchased is known as Hachiya.  It has a high tannin content which makes it bitter and astringent unless it is completely ripe (mushy).  Kaki is the variety that Vince's mom has given me; it is best eaten (like an apple) when it is still firm.

Ah hah!

So the remaining four Hachiya have been sitting, ripening on a tray in my kitchen for about a month.  They were getting pretty mushy--the recipe that I used said that they should feel like a water balloon--so today was the day to use them.

This photo is blurry (sorry) but shows the pointed bottom of the Hachiya variety.

Peeled--isn't this a beautiful color?

Cut in half, you can see a few tiny seeds at the base of the fruit (blurry photo, sorry)

 After I cut the persimmons into slices, they were still pretty firm and the recipe called for "puree."  So I tried the blender--which did not work well.

Then I remembered the new food processor!

Just the thing--pulverized those babies!

Added the puree to the dry ingredients, eggs, and butter

Tough to see but the dough had a lovely peach color.

Added Craisins instead of raisins...

And chopped pecans...

 

Then, into a 350 degree preheated (but very dirty oven)...and tackle that mountain of dishes.  Sigh.  At least I got to lick the bowl (the dough was yummy).

How'd it come out?  Recipe is from the internet, so you never know...

Big disappointment!  I ended up with two BRICKS.  One loaf was under cooked; the other which I baked a bit longer was almost burnt on the outside and still way under done on the inside.  Sheesh.

I think I'll stick to the raw Kaki...