Choose ripe persimmons for these recipes

smcclanahan

Sourdough and persimmon are what is featured this week in Recipe Swap. Readers have been busy baking, cooking and sharing all of those great recipes for other readers to try, so keep up the good work.

Glenda Buchanan from Perryville, Mo., came to our rescue with a sourdough starter recipe and recipes for how to use the starter. Last week we shared the starter and several of her recipes, and this week we will finish up her baking recipes.

Herman White Bread

1 cup Herman starter at room temperature

1 package yeast, dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

About 2 cups flour

Beat the starter, dissolved yeast, oil, and salt together until smooth. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead thoroughly, then let rise. Punch down and let rise again. Shape into a loaf and let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.

Herman Chocolate Cake

6 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup Herman starter

3/4 cup milk

3 ounces melted semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together the butter and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Stir in the Herman starter, milk, melted chocolate and vanilla. Beat well and then add the flour, salt and baking soda. Pour into 2 greased layer pans or 1 9-by-13 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar over or frost with your favorite frosting.

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We recently had a request for persimmon recipes from Barb Kinsey of Cape Girardeau. I have learned that persimmons are a great source of vitamin C, beta carotene and fiber. I have not done much cooking with persimmons, but have used them to predict what type of winter we will have. If you can find a persimmon, take a sharp knife and cut it into halves along the edge, lengthwise. Once the seed is opened and split down the center, if the center of the seed looks like a spoon shape, it's going to be a harsh winter with heavy, wet snow. A fork shape means a mild winter with light, powdery snow, and a knife shape predicts an icy winter with cutting winds. My sister has been picking up persimmons, and I will be eager to see what she finds in her seeds.

Barb was specifically looking for a pie recipe and I received a reply from Rick Tinucci of St. Louis. Rick is in Rotary International with my father-in-law and Rick made this pie for him to enjoy. Rick developed his recipe, and I hope you enjoy it. You will always want to wait until after the first hard frost to pick persimmons and choose only those whose skin is translucent and the fruit nearly mushy to the touch.

Tinucci Persimmon Pie

Use a food mill, not a food processor, to process enough washed and cleaned persimmons to make 2 1/4 cups of pulp, being careful not to mash any seeds into your pulp.

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup melted margarine

2 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

In a large mixing bowl add eggs and sugar to the pulp until well blended. Slowly add the margarine and the milk until the mixture is smooth. Some of the pulp strands may adhere to the beaters of the mixer. Mix the baking soda, baking powder, salt and all the seasonings with the flour before adding to the pulp mixture. Add flour mixture to the pulp 1/4 cup at a time allowing for the mixture to be well blended. When complete, the mixture will have the consistency of pumpkin pie filling.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with your favorite pastry shell and fill with the persimmon mixture. Bake the pie for 10 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking an additional 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. When the pie is finished it will be slightly darker than pumpkin pie.

Ledillon Powers from Olmsted, Ill., has also answered the recent request for persimmon recipes. I have not ever had persimmon fudge, but if it has chocolate in it, I know I will like it, so I have to share her recipe with you.

Persimmon Fudge

4 cups sugar

2/3 cup persimmon pulp

1 stick margarine

1 cup evaporated milk

1/2 pint marshmallow cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Combine sugar, milk, butter and persimmon pulp, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat to a soft ball stage, or 236 degrees. Remove from heat, add marshmallow cream, nuts and vanilla. Pour into buttered pan. Cool and cut.

Persimmon Crisp

6 cups ripe persimmons, seeded and sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup milk

6 tablespoons butter, softened and divided

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix, divided

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for garnish

Mix the persimmons and spices and place in a greased 8-by-8 inch pan. Beat the milk, 2 tablespoons butter, eggs, sugar and 1/2 cup biscuit mix until smooth; about 15 seconds in the blender or one minute with a hand held mixer. Pour over persimmons and spices. Mix together remaining biscuit baking mix, pecans, brown sugar and remaining butter. Stir until crumbly and sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Mabel Smith of Scott City had requested a recipe for Christmas Fudge and at the time I thought there must be a million recipes for fudge and will we ever find a match. But you came through. Betty Emerson of Morley, Mo., shares her recipe that she says is the best fudge she has ever eaten and had anywhere. I am going to have to try this recipe, and soon.

Christmas Fudge

3/4 cup butter, no substitutions

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup canned evaporated milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

11 1/2 ounces milk chocolate chips

10 ounces peanut butter chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow crème

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped walnuts

Melt butter in a large heavy pan over low heat. Add Eagle Brand milk, evaporated milk and extracts. Stir until blended; add chips and stir until melted. Stir in marshmallow crème until blended. Remove from heat. Blend in nuts. Pour into a well buttered 9-by-13-inch pan. Cool completely and cut into squares. Makes 5 pound of candy.

Just when you think you have heard it all, there is always more. And when you think cream filled snack cakes have all the fat in the world in them, this recipe adds even more. Curious? Jay Hunze from the Senior Center shared this recipe with me for deep fried Twinkies on a stick. Remember at our SEMO District Fair this past September, there was deep fried Snickers and other items on a stick? As soon as one of you gives this recipe a try, let me know how they were.

Fried Twinkies

1 cup milk

2 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 Twinkies, frozen

Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. Push popsicle stick into frozen Twinkie, leaving a few inches to use as a handle. Dip frozen Twinkie into batter. Deep fry until golden brown 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from fryer; place on paper towel to drain well. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

You may want to add caramel sauce or a fruit sauce to the top of them as well. The cake will be warm and crusty on the outside and the filling will be cold. The batter should be enough for six Twinkies.

We have been talking about starters and baking last week and this, which had jogged the memory of Mary Roe of Cape Girardeau for a starter recipe she used years ago. She recalls many of the recipes and how she kept the starter going, but is not sure of the initial start-up starter recipe. She said it is different that the starters we use today, as hers had fruit in it. During the 30 days of keeping the starter going you added canned peaches, sugar, canned pineapple and maraschino cherries throughout the 30 days at different intervals. On the 30th day you baked three cakes and kept a starter. She said it made the most delicious cakes and breads, and they made great gifts during the holiday season. Surely someone has this recipe tucked away and have forgotten all about it.

That is all the space we have for today. I hope you enjoy the recipe swapping from other readers, as I think it sure makes the column to have you share your best with all of us.

So, until next week, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.