Persimmon, Date and Pecan Bread

up until about 2 years ago persimmons were one amongst a list of fruits that i was convinced simply could not be purchased from a grocery store. my father (in my mind) is the persimmon master. every time he would walk through the doors of our camp and plop down a few of those oddly cartoonish orange fruits i would get so excited because, in all seriousness those perfectly ripe little guys were a heavenly mix between an orange and jello. our family favorite ritual is to peel a few of them (enjoy all the mess), throw them in the freezer for about 30 minutes then gorge ourselves on the amazingly complex textures and tastes of this low country louisiana delicacy. as a matter of fact when josh and i were in town visiting my family a little over a month ago my dad trucked a few into the house. don't you love how some things never change?

when i moved to NYC i began to notice that persimmons were sold in the grocery. this was an interesting phenomenon considering this was never the case in louisiana. the logistics would never work out - from what i knew these things are all mush. try putting that in a pyramid and leaving it out for a week or two in hopes some poor schmuck would buy one. well i bought one one day - i just needed some kind of comfort food and this seems perfect. that was a horrific experience - yikes. biting into one of those, thinking you will get a mouthfull of sweet goo was like drinking from a cup filled with sprite when you thought it was water.

needless to say i had never heard of the other persimmons that happened to look just like my childhood ones. these are so grandly called FUYU persimmons and as i discovered; they are not suppose to soft and gooey like my beloved memories. ok, i can accept that then, but what the hell do you do with them then? make bread i suppose. i was rummaging around blogs and found a recipe for persimmon bread. alright then - lets make some changes and do this!

i really like the finished product, its great for breakfast or afternoon snack.

PERSIMMON, DATE & PECAN BREAD

1 egg

2/3c sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c grated persimmons (about 3)

1/3c oil

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 1/2c AP flour

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp (heaping) cardamon

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2c chopped pecans

1/2c chopped dates

*preheat oven to 350F, grease a loaf pan

*whisk together the first 5 ingredients (through to oil)

*in separate bowl sift together the salt, flour and spices

*mix in oil mixture to just combine

*fold in pecans and dates

*pour into loaf pan and cook 45-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean