Persimmons

I had heard the word "persimmon" before, but I never really knew what type of fruit it was.  Just like when I'm reading a book to my students, and suddenly a hand goes up.  What does (fill in blank) mean?   Well, it's a ...um....it's...you know...let's see...we'll just keep reading.
I knew I had heard of a persimmon before, but if someone had asked me to describe them, I would have had a terrible time.  To be honest, the first 1 year here, I saw them in the grocery stores and just thought they were weird tomatoes.  It wasn't until another teacher had them in their home and suggested that I try one.  Not bad.  It didn't have a huge flavor, which in my book usually means it's good.
Shortly before our Christmas trip, I came across a vegan persimmon bread recipe.  I love making random baked goods that I've never heard of, and I was eager for the challenge.  I was impressed that even though this was a vegan recipe, it didn't call for any crazy vegan ingredients like carob, tofutti products, egg replaces, etc... I just don't have those things in my kitchen; nor are they available in Taiwan.  I'm always on the hunt for some simple vegan recipes, and this seemed to be just that.

I got the recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog http://blog.fatfreevegan.com

Persimmon Bread 

1 1/4 cups persimmon, mashed or blended (about 2 Taiwanese persimmons...I hear they are much bigger here than the variety in the States)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons canola oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup agave nectar (or substitute 1/2 cup plus 2 T. sugar and 2 T. water)- it was plenty sweet for me, if you like things not so sweet, cut out part of the sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup white and 1 cup whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ginger (since I dislike ginger, I substituted it with cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins- (I obmitted both the raisins and walnuts)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350. Oil or spray a loaf pan or bundt pan.

Mixing the batter

In a small bowl, mix the persimmon, lemon juice, oil or apple sauce, and agave nectar. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, except for raisins and walnuts. Pour the wet into the dry and mix just until all flour is moistened (do not over-mix). Fold in the raisins and walnuts, if desired.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes.   Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then remove from the pan. Cool completely before serving.

Note: Low-fat quickbreads like this really benefit from being allowed to cool completely, which is why they often taste better the next day. The crust, which is chewier than breads with oil, will gather moisture and softness over time.

Makes about 12 servings