Spice (32 page)

Persimmons ripen at room temperature within 3 to 4 days. If you can’t wait that long, put them in the freezer, unwrapped, overnight. When they thaw, they’re ready to use. Cut them in half and scoop out the pulp, discarding the skin. Purée the pulp in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, until smooth and creamy.

Maple sugar, also known as “Indian sugar,” is a finely granulated sugar made from pure maple syrup. It’s used as an alternative to brown sugar when baking or in coffee as a substitute for cane sugar. You can find it online at www.vermontcountrystore.com.

You can make both the custard and cakes a day ahead and assemble them just before serving. The custard can even be made up to 3 days ahead and won’t suffer.

Drink a late-harvest Gewürztraminer (see page 61) with this dessert.

M
AKES FOURTEEN 4-OUNCE (MUFFİN-SİZED) İNDİVİDUAL CAKES AND 2½ CUPS OF CRÊME BRÛLÉE

For the Persimmon Pudding Cake

7 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar, plus about ½ cup for brûlée

1 1/3 cups buttermilk

1 1/3 cups persimmon purée, from about 3 jelly-soft ripe hachiya persimmons

1½ teaspoons grated orange zest (about 1 orange)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice (about ½ orange)

For the Maple Sugar Crème Brûlée

2 cups heavy cream

½ cup maple sugar (or substitute ½ cup sugar plus 1 teaspoon maple extract or 1 tablespoon real maple syrup)

6 egg yolks

To Make the Pudding Cake

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.
Lightly brush a medium muffin pan (that makes 4-ounce muffins) with about 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to prevent the cake batter from sticking.

3.
Over a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt and set aside. If you don’t have a flour sifter, you can use a medium sieve and shake the dry ingredients through it, into the bowl or onto a large piece of parchment paper (which can then be picked up and formed into a funnel to slide the flour mixture into the batter for step 6).

4.
Using a handheld mixer or a KitchenAid mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed for 1 minute, until they are broken and smooth like an omelet mixture. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale yellow, for about 5 minutes.

5.
Add the remaining 5 tablespoons of meltedbutter and mix for a few seconds until the butter is incorporated.

6.
With the mixer on the slowest speed, addthe flour mixture, little by little, until it formsa batter.

7.
Pour in the buttermilk and mix another minute, until the batter is smooth.

8.
In a small bowl, combine the persimmon purée with the orange zest and juice, stirring with a spoon or whisk. Add this mixture to the cake batter, stirring for a minute, until combined.

9.
Pour the batter into a medium pitcher or use a 4-ounce ladle to fill the muffin cups to the top with batter. If you have extra batter, butter one or two 4-ounce soufflé ramekins and fill them, just like the muffin tins, setting them on a small pie pan or cookie sheet to bake.

10.
Bake the little cakes for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick or a wooden skewer into the center of one of the cakes. If the skewer comes out clean, then the cakes are done. If a little wet batter clings to the skewer, then the cakes should bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. The cakes will rise when first baked and then sink as they cool, forming a well. They will be very moist and soft, like a cross between cake and pudding.

To Make the Crème Brûlée

1.
Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2.
Combine the cream and maple sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Maple sugar is very dry and the granules stick together, so you will have to keep whisking until it is dissolved, for a few minutes, over medium heat. Remove from the heat once the cream begins to simmer (after about 8 minutes). Set aside.

3.
Place the egg yolks in a small mixing bowl and whisk them until they are broken and creamy, for about 1 minute. Slowly pour the hot maple cream into the yolks, little by little, whisking as you pour.

4.
When the cream and eggs are incorporated, use a large spoon or a ladle to skim off any bubbles that form on top of the cream and discard.

5.
Strain the crème through a fine sieve, to remove any granules of sugar or bits of cooked egg, into a small (6-to 8-inch, round or square) ovenproof baking dish or soufflé dish. Use a large spoon or the back of the ladle to push the crème through. The crème should be 1 to 1½ inches high.

6.
Place the dish in a baking or roasting pan that is slightly larger. Fill the larger pan with warm water so that it reaches ¾ of the way up the sides of the custard dish. This water bath will cook the custard more gently.

7.
Bake for 55 minutes. The custard should be set around the sides and still loose in the middle when you gently shake the pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake another 15 minutes.

8.
Remove the custard dish from the water bath and uncover it. Cool the crème for about 30 minutes, and then refrigerate it for at least 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.

To Serve the Cakes

1.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the crème brûlée into the well of each persimmon cake, leveling the top with a spatula or the back edge of a knife. The cream should be smooth and even with the cake.

2.
Coat the maple cream with a thin, even layer of granulated sugar, about a heaping teaspoon per cake.

3.
Using a propane torch, quickly move the flame across the top of the cake to melt the sugar. Continue moving the flame back and forth for another minute, until the top becomes darkly golden, like caramel. Let it cool for a minute before serving so that the top hardens and crackles (the signature of crème brûlée). If you have any persimmons left over, you can serve them sliced on the side as a garnish.

Note

Maple Sugar Crème Brûlée is delicious on its own. If you choose to make it separately from the persimmon pudding cakes, leave the baked custard in the pan and follow instructions for steps 2 and 3, above.

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