Ginger-Spiked Persimmon Pudding Bread

Fuyu persimmons have become my cute little, bright orangey-red, pudgy new friends lately.

I was gifted a bag full of them a few days ago... and may I say, I love food gifts.

I've never eaten or cooked with a Fuyu persimmon before, so this was a fun week.  I ate a couple straight up like an apple; made pumpkin and persimmon scones the other day and then today I conjured up what I'm calling Ginger-Spiked Persimmon Pudding Bread.  Ginger-spiked because I saw a few recipes that called for about a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger and I just thought that was poppycock ... I like to use that word when I'm feeling sassy. It's been one of those days.

There are a few things I am not shy with in recipes... garlic being the first one (don't worry, you're safe for this recipe at least)... ginger being the next runner up.  It's far too delicious, spicy, fall-ish, warming and medicinal to be stingy with so I wanted to make sure you get ginger when you take a bite of this subtly, sweet bread.  Pair ginger with persimmons --- which strangely and wonderfully remind me of an apple, a cantaloupe and a pumpkin all at once --- blended into a pulp and mixed into a cakey-bread batter, well, it's just goodness all around.  What really spikes this tasty dish up is by serving it up with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and then sprinkling crushed, crystallized ginger over the top... doesn't that sound like it would be adored on the table during the holidays?

So back to persimmons. Do be sure to get the Fuyu or Hachiya variety since they are non-astringent and definitely sweeter.  Or, get the astringent kind and learn the true meaning of "pucker."  You'll want to make sure they are ripe and then to peel the skin; however, if you get the Fuyu variety like I did, then they stay firm even when they are ripe, so, don't hold your breath.

This bread recipe is infused with several autumn spices to whisk you right into the heart of fall.  In addition to ginger, there is cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice, which just marry so well with persimmons.  Though, don't be intimidated by them or shy with them because persimmons can be enjoyed in so many other ways... even in smoothies, as a pureed fruit topping for pancakes, stirred into oatmeal, in a creamy pudding, into muffins, sliced fresh and added to salads, etc.  Actually, I am about to find out because just as I pulled the bread out of the oven and used up the last of them, I got a knock on my door letting me know, there was another bag full of persimmons on the way.  I have out-of-town friends staying with me this weekend and you can guess what is on the menu!

On the therapeutic food front, when you think of persimmons think of:

• potassium
• vitamin A (eye health, disease fighting)
• vitamin C (building our immune system for the colder months ahead)
• good source of fiber (digestive health)
• their cooling and moistening benefits as they may help dry conditions in the body and when the weather is dry as well
• anti-oxidants, the polyphenolic kind and similar to the properties in green tea... think of cancer fighting, anti-inflammatory and vascular/heart health

Change up your fruit this fall and have a little fun with persimmons.  If you are using them and have any recipes that you especially love, would ya share?

Hulling it first gives you a good handle for grating...

Pureed into a delicious pulp...

All battered up and ready to go...

45 minutes later

...5 minutes later

Click here to view the full recipe on my business website.

Ginger, you will always be my first love

CRYSTALLIZED  GINGER (Photo via)

You could say it started in Austria back in October of 2005 when I was standing in line to catch my flight back to the states from a trip to Romania.  My flight was boarding in less than 5 minutes and I had terrible nausea, the progressive kind where you are running out of time; you aren’t sure which "end" to worry about and the only thing that could comfort you is the nearest restroom. (You know what I'm talking about.)

The kind where you just want to be in the safety of your own home and definitely not in an airport in a foreign country! Which by the way, have you ever been to an airport in Austria? It is UNUSUALLY quiet. People whisper and if you don’t, you are definitely an American.

Thankfully, a friend came to my rescue and handed me a piece of crystallized ginger, which I choked down quickly and desperately, followed by a crinkled face and a “Yeeechk” sound. I wasn’t prepared for the hot spice and zing of raw ginger. Though, now I love it for just that taste.


Within a couple minutes, my stomach settled. The nausea passed. I boarded my flight and all was well.


While this was new to me, people have been using ginger for hundreds of years not only for its taste but for its superior health properties. This was my most memorable experience with “food as medicine” and I was most intrigued.  I have a little twinkle in my eye that hasn't left since that day.  

Now, I never travel or go camping without crystallized ginger in my carry-on, purse or hiking pack. I have a stash in my pantry and keep a small supply in my "first aid kit."


One of the extraordinary things about ginger (Zingiber officinale) is that you can use it in so many forms: fresh root, ground, dried, crystallized.  It is one of the world's best medicines and here are a few reasons why:

A Few of Ginger's Health Properties...

• warming, soothing, boosts circulation
• relieves motion sickness and nausea
• digestive stimulant
• good for cold and flu
• anti-inflammatory
• may help in the prevention of migraines

I'm in love with ginger's therapeutic benefits equally as much as I am with the delicious flavor it adds to dishes and drinks. How amazing is it that you can get both benefits in one shot? 

GINGER ROOT (Photo via)

As I write this to you, I just got back from a midnight walk in the snow (and they say it rarely snows in the Seattle area!).  I am sitting in front of my cozy fire place, but the one thing that would make this picture right is a satisfying, warm, fragrant cup of Ginger & Orange Spiced Cider.  

STAR ANISE (Photo via)

The recipe below is an apple juice-based cider with a generous amount of fresh ginger root; it's infused with fragrant essential oils from the orange zest as well as the whole spices that are added --- which by the way, aren't you just itching to use whole cinnamon sticks?  And to gaze upon the beauty that is star anise?  

NUTMEG (Photo via)

And don't you want to smell the perfect, deep, bittersweet, woody fragrance of fresh ground nutmeg?  It will ruin you forever for pre-purchased ground nutmeg.  I promise.  






There is a fabulous blend of warm, sweet, pungent and aromatic in this cider and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Take a little field trip to the bulk spice section in your natural foods store to find these rich and warming whole spices.  


If you give it a try, let me know what you think. 

What is your favorite way to use ginger?

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Ginger and Orange Spiced Cider

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Preparation time: 30 minutes

Serves 8

1 gallon unsweetened juice

Juice from 1 orange

1 teaspoon orange zest

4 cinnamon sticks

5 stars of anise

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon whole allspice berries

½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger root

Combine all ingredients in a large pot.  Heat to establish a gentle simmer.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes to allow time for spices to infuse.  Reduce heat if it begins to boil.  Strain cider and serve warm.

Copyright 2010, S. Nester, Original recipe