Autumn. Crackling leaves and football games. Nippy evenings and early sunsets. Cups of steaming hot cocoa.
But wait. Most vivid of all recollections of fall might well be the glorious fruit produced from that season’s harvest. Imagine autumn without apple desserts. Or, green salads without the perfumy sweetness of pears. A season absent of Hachiya persimmons baked into warm cakelike pudding.
Apples and Pomegranates: With crisp, juicy interiors clothed in burnished skins, apples have inspired some of the world’s greatest desserts. Team an apple cake with pomegranate seeds and you have captured two of fall’s favorites. Sweet, yet tart, the luscious seeds burst with juice. They glimmer atop the cake like ruby-red prisms.
Ripe Pears: And think of the possibility of a perfect pear. Sweet and buttery, with melt-in-your-mouth texture. In the marketplace, they most often are sold rock hard and almost scentless. That’s because if they are left on the tree to ripen, they become grainy, downright mushy. Plan on letting hard pears lounge in a brown bag at room temperature for several days to soften, checking them every day (they are perfect when they give to gentle pressure at the neck – don’t let them get squishy). Try them sauteed and added to a green salad; you will fall in love.
Persimmons: They hold a special place in the seasonal lineup. Ripe Hachiya persimmons are the deep orange heart-shaped variety. The fruit stars of one of the most irresistible autumn desserts, a pudding-like cake replete with cinnamon, dried apricots, and crystallized ginger.
Cakey Persimmon Pudding
This dessert showcases the likeable elements of fruitcake without the components that many find objectionable. The underlying sweetness of the Hachiya persimmons shines through, augmented with the taste and texture of nuts and dried fruit. If you like, substitute dried cherries or dried cranberries for the raisins.
Yield: About 10 servings
INGREDIENTS
Nonstick vegetable spray
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups persimmon pulp, about 3 to 4 very ripe Hachiya persimmons; see cook’s notes
3/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Garnish: 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Cook’s notes: Hachiya persimmons feel like overfilled water balloons when ripe. They absolutely need to be ripe; otherwise the taste is astringent. If persimmon pulp is chunky, mash with fork.
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray ten 3/4-cup (6-ounce) soufflé cups with nonstick vegetable spray. In large bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well-blended.
2. In separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; stir until well-combined.
3. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture; mix until blended. Add pulp; mix until blended. Add raisins, crystallized ginger and nuts; mix until blended.
4. Spoon into prepared cups, filling a little less than 3/4 full; smooth tops to make even, using back of large spoon or rubber spatula. Bake in middle of preheated oven, until the toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes.
5. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving. In an electric mixer, beat cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Using half of whipped cream, add a dollop of whipped cream to each pudding and serve. Place remaining whipped cream in a bowl and pass for optional topping.
Source: “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas
Salad of Pears, Hazelnuts, and Blue Cheese
In her cookbook, “Roast Figs, Sugar Snow — Food to Warm the Soul,” author Diana Henry writes that this dish, based on a classic French bistro salad, “tastes slightly of smoky bacon” although none is found in the ingredient list. She advises that apples can be substituted for pears, and walnuts used instead of hazelnuts. I like to include 2 cups of bite-sized pieces of butter lettuce mixed with the more assertive watercress or spinach, in which case I double the amount of dressing.
Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 small red onion
Olive oil
Flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dressing: 2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar — or to taste, 1/4 cup hazelnut oil or walnut oil, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, flakey salt, and black pepper to taste
3 pears, not overly ripe
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces salad leaves, such as baby spinach, or watercress
2/3 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts (but not skinned), halved
1 3/4 cups crumbled blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola, or Dolcelatte, or Cashel Blue cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Halve the red onion and cut it into crescent-shaped slices. Put into a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft with slightly caramelized tips.
3. Prepare the dressing by whisking all (dressing) ingredients together, seasoning to taste.
4. Halve and core the pears, then cut them, lengthwise, into slices 1/4-inch thick. Melt butter in skillet and quickly sauté the pear slices on medium-high heat on each side until golden. Don’t overcook them; they should still hold their shape.
5. Toss the salad leaves with the nuts and most of the dressing. Divide between six plates. Add the pear slices and slightly warm onion and scatter with the cheese. Drizzle each plate with the rest of the dressing and serve.
Source: “Roast Figs, Sugar Snow — Food to Warm the Soul” by Diana Henry
Apple Cake with Pomegranates
Apples and pomegranates combine to make this lovely cake a symbol of autumn. The buttery cake is topped with overlapping apple slices before baking. Out of the oven, it’s brushed with a pomegranate-jelly glaze. Before serving, a blanket of pomegranate seeds is added to the top of the cake.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
Butter or margarine for greasing pan
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 teaspoon finely minced lemon or orange zest (colored part of peel)
2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons milk
3 Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup currant jelly or strawberry jelly
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
Seeds of 1 pomegranate, about 1 cup
Optional garnish: Sprigs of fresh mint
For serving: Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Generously grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, 3/4 cup sugar, and zest; process until blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating between additions.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat until blended, stopping to scrape down sides if needed. Add milk and beat until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared pan and smooth out top.
4. Peel, core and thinly slice apples and arrange slices atop batter in pan, overlapping slices in concentric circles, starting at outside edge. Brush top with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar on top. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, you can add 1 additional tablespoon of sugar.
5. Place springform pan on rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 30 minutes or until a toothpickinserted in center comes out clean and apples are golden. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. Carefully remove rim from springform pan, first running a sharp knife around the edge.
7. In a small saucepan, combine jelly and pomegranate juice. Place on high heat and stir until melted. Remove from heat and brush on top and sides of cake. Cool.
8. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top of cake. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature accompanied by ice cream or whipped cream.
Source: “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at @CathyThomasCooks.com.
