1414 Persimmon/cacchi

[QUOTE=alex and lyn]Have just identified some of our fruit trees as Persimmon ( cacchi). My neighbiours say makes a lovely marmalade..have found really easy recipe but says a quart of persimmons...how much in weight is that...never cooked with quarts before ( except liquid !!)[/QUOTE]

Tee Hee, wait till they ripen and you open one, then you'll see....... :D :eek:

You're funny George :)

I think that using the Persimmons in liquid measurement will not be that difficult Lyn.

My Italian grandmother loved Persimmon Pudding! I remember going to her home in the fall and smelling it when we came through the door. It's delicious.

Persimmon Pudding

Serves: 6 to 8 as dessert

Ingredients:
3 large (about 1 lb.) very ripe, soft persimmons, stemmed
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 Tbsp. light brown sugar, firmly packed
6 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Purée the persimmons (with the skins) in a blender or the bowl of a food processor; set aside. Beat the butter and sugars together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and combine thoroughly.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients, one third at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Add the persimmon purée and vanilla and blend thoroughly.

Generously butter a 1-quart mold. Pour the batter into the mold and cover tightly with a buttered lid or aluminum foil.

Place a rack in a pot taller than the mold. Place the mold on the rack and add enough boiling water to reach the middle of the mold. Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil. Place over medium heat on the stove top (It can also be baked in a preheated 325°F oven.) Cook until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Check the water level frequently and add more boiling water if necessary to maintain the same level.

Transfer the mold to a cooling rack. Remove the cover; let cool until lukewarm. Unmold onto a plate and serve warm or at room temperature.

Suggested wine: Moscato d'Oro

I made persimmon jam last year but it was pretty cacchi !
I think I just made the recipe up and did the usual weight for weight thing with the fruit and sugar. As I said it wasnt nice. The fruit was overpowered by the sugar and it didnt set (musnt have much pectin in it ). I'd be interested to hear how the marmalade goes as our persimmons will be ready for somemore culinary inventiveness by the time we get there next week !

What do they look like. We've got some fruit that looks similar to an apple but is a bit furry like a peach. Could these be they...... :rolleyes:

[QUOTE=paula hampson]What do they look like. We've got some fruit that looks similar to an apple but is a bit furry like a peach. Could these be they...... :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

Here's a photo Paula:

[url]http://www.nestbox.com/sections/galleries/digital/persimmon.jpg[/url]

by jove, you've hit the nail on the head greatscot. Can I just eat it as it is. :confused:

You can eat it as is when it's ripe (my grandmother did), but I don't like it plain and uncooked. It's really sweet and has this odd sort of after taste to me, kind of like a date quality (only very slimmy), but I like dates uncooked.

Come to think of it, the Persimmon Pudding kind of reminds me of a date loaf.

Aha, I just looked up Persimmon, and another name for it is a "Date Plum", so my taste buds were right ;)

Once I realized that dates and persimmons are related, I thought that there must be a recipe for a Persimmon Chutney, and I found one!

Persimmon Chutney

12 persimmons
6 lemons
1 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1? cups sugar
1 tsp. chilli sauce or powder
2 tblsp. finely chopped raw ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup currants (optional)

Cut up lemons and soak in vinegar overnight.
Blanch persimmons in boiling water for 5 minutes, then peel and dice.
Add the lemons with all other ingredients and bring to boil.
Continue boiling for about 40 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from stove, allow mixture to cool, bottle and seal.

[QUOTE We've got some fruit that looks similar to an apple but is a bit furry like a peach. :[/QUOTE]

Paula,
Are you sure they are not quince (mela cotogna) rather than cacchi? We have both growing in the garden. The quince do look like furry pale green apples whereas the cacchi have smooth skins and a frilly collar around the stalk. You cannot eat the quince raw but can use it for jam; the cacchi can be eaten raw or cooked as already mentioned, when ripe they have a very tranluscent pinky orange skin and are very delicate so do not travel well.

Regards
Anne2

I'm confused again, perhaps your right anne2, what do they look like on the inside, both of them. :confused:

They look like cacchi's to me. I had a gazillion of them when I lived in Italy full time a while back. I experimented with some recipe's. The best involved cooking the ripe cacchi's on the range for about 1/2 hour until soft, getting rid of the skins and large seeds, then using this pulp in lieu of pumpkin pie filling to make my famous "cacchi pie". Most people could not differentiate this from "real" pumpkin pie. Worked for me...
Abruzzo Pieworks
[url]http://www.angelfire.com/film/casale[/url]

Here are two photos and information on [B]two different breeds, two different kinds of quince.[/B] The first photo has information about the quince that is related to apple/pear, the second photo is just here to show that there is a totally different fruit that has the same name.

[url]http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wegmans.com/kitchen/ingredients/produce/fruit/images/quince.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wegmans.com/kitchen/ingredients/produce/fruit/quince.asp&h=317&w=325&sz=32&tbnid=BSqb05pGR2kJ:&tbnh=111&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dquince%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D&oi=imagesr&start=2[/url]

This one only has photos and recipe, without information. The cut fruit will show
you it's similarity with an orange.

[url]http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lesbiangardens.net/quince.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lesbiangardens.net/quince.html&h=225&w=225&sz=6&tbnid=w-2jnru52OYJ:&tbnh=102&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dquince%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D&oi=imagesr&start=3[/url]

Thank you for the Persimmon pie recipe Stafanaccio! Interesting that you can use the pulp like pumpkin.

Here is a very good information link on Persimmons:

[url]http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/persimmon.html[/url]

[QUOTE=paula hampson] what do they look like on the inside, both of them. :[/QUOTE]

A quince is shaped rather like a cross between an apple and a pear. The qunice we have closely resemble an apple inside, but are much much harder; nothing like the photo in the third link sent by GreatScott, perhaps a different variety? On the outside they are very firm, light green with a light furry downie type covering, you can see 'hairs' like a peach skin but they rub off.

Cacchi are tomato like inside, a pinky orange colour and are very soft with a small number, maybe 6-8 pips or seeds. At the moment they are green so not ripe, during the winter you often see them left on trees, with a lovely orangey pinkish red glow to them, when ripe the skins are transparent. The very first link sent by Great Scott shows a ripe cacchi, quince do not have that sort of collar and are always pale green.

Hope this helps and does not add to the confusion.

Anne2

[QUOTE=anne2]Paula,
Are you sure they are not quince (mela cotogna) rather than cacchi? We have both growing in the garden. The quince do look like furry pale green apples whereas the cacchi have smooth skins and a frilly collar around the stalk. You cannot eat the quince raw but can use it for jam; the cacchi can be eaten raw or cooked as already mentioned, when ripe they have a very tranluscent pinky orange skin and are very delicate so do not travel well.

Regards
Anne2[/QUOTE]

'The owl and the pussy cat went to sea in a beuatiful pea green boat' etc etc etc..........'They dined on mince and slices of quince which they ate with a runcible spoon'..........

Just for the record, does anyone know what a 'runcible spoon' is? I've always wondered!

[QUOTE=anne2]A quince is shaped rather like a cross between an apple and a pear. The qunice we have closely resemble an apple inside, but are much much harder; nothing like the photo in the third link sent by GreatScott, perhaps a different variety? On the outside they are very firm, light green with a light furry downie type covering, you can see 'hairs' like a peach skin but they rub off.

Cacchi are tomato like inside, a pinky orange colour and are very soft with a small number, maybe 6-8 pips or seeds. At the moment they are green so not ripe, during the winter you often see them left on trees, with a lovely orangey pinkish red glow to them, when ripe the skins are transparent. The very first link sent by Great Scott shows a ripe cacchi, quince do not have that sort of collar and are always pale green.

Hope this helps and does not add to the confusion.

Anne2[/QUOTE]

Thank you Anne2, a very good description! I clarified my earlier post to show that I was only putting in the other Quince link to show that there was a different fruit with the same name.

[QUOTE=Flyingveepixie]'The owl and the pussy cat went to sea in a beuatiful pea green boat' etc etc etc..........'They dined on mince and slices of quince which they ate with a runcible spoon'..........

Just for the record, does anyone know what a 'runcible spoon' is? I've always wondered![/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a961108a.html[/url]

Its a quince. We cut one open out of interest in June (we knew they weren't ripe) and they were simillar to an apple inside. Going back in three weeks (oh the excitment :p ) Shall have another look

Thanks

Our quince are just about ripe so I will soon be busy jam making. I use a very simple but tasty recipe that does not take too long:

To make approx. 2.25kg (5lbs)

1.3kg (3lbs) quince - net fruit weight
juice of 2 lemons
2 pints water
1.3kg (3lbs) sugar

Peel and quarter the quince, cut away all of the central core. Cut each quarter into rough 2cm dice. Place the fruit in a large saucepan, a preserving pot if available, along with the lemon juice and 2 pints of water.
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the fruits become tender, then lightly mash with a fork or potato masher. Add the sugar, stirring until completely disolved, then bring to the boil, cooking at this temperature for 15-20 mins. To test for setting point, spoon a little of the jam onto a saucer and chill. As the jam cools a skin forms, when pushed with a finger, the skin should begin to crinkle if setting point has been reached. If too wet and loose, continue to boil, checking for setting after every 5 minutes.
Once the jam is ready remove the pan form the heat and skim away any impurities.
Leave to stand and cool slightly then spoon into sterilized jars.

It keeps really well, I think we may even have a couple of jars left from a couple of years ago when we had a bumper crop! When cooked it is an attractive deep apricot colour, very different from the raw fruit. In the pretty conserve jars you can easily buy here at the moment it makes a good pressie to hand out to visitors returning home.

[QUOTE
Just for the record, does anyone know what a 'runcible spoon' is? I've always wondered![/QUOTE]

I always thought it an invention of Edward Lear, but I have since been told it is a spoon that can be folded in half with a teaspoon size bowl at one end and at the other a tablespoon bowl!

Anne2

While reading the information on Persimmon Foliage I noticed (at the end of the description) that the fresh or dried leaves can be used for a tea.