The inspiration for this recipe came from a recent visit to some friends house, you see just outside their kitchen window there is a magnificent Persimmon Tree full of fruit. There are no leaves left on the tree only fruit with the most unique orange colour you have ever seen. While I was standing in the kitchen talking to April a massive crow lands in the tree and helps himself to some of these tasty orange wonders. I was pretty amazed when it took him only seconds to gobble up the whole thing.

Persimmon’s are a lesser known fruit, they have a tough outer skin that protects fruit that has the texture of a ripe mango but the taste is a little more similar to an apricot… oh and they kind of look like orange tomatoes.

Margaret’s Persimmon Bread, as seen in Maggie Beer’s, Maggie’s Harvest cookbook

2 free range eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups plain flour

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups of persimmon pulp (about 4 persimmons)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

1 cup of walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix the eggs, sugar and melted butter in a large bowl. Sift the flour, soda and spices into the bowl, then stir in all the remaining ingredients. Divide the mixture between to greased loaf tuns, then stand these in a roasting pan filled with warm water. The water should come about halfway up the sides of the loaf tins. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, then turn the loaves out of tines onto a wire rack to cool.

Serve with a ripe blue cheese, a fresh persimmon and walnuts.

I halved this recipe, only because I only have 1 loaf tin to cook with. I also didn’t have any walnuts so I went for some almonds instead. All in all this is a not too sweet treat after a meal, if you serve it with some cheese it quiet pleasant. It won’t set your world on fire though sadly.