BaltimOregon

I don’t bake nearly enough. But the results are always so instantly gratifying. There’s the real before-and-after sense, with the magic between batter and baked good happening behind the closed door of the oven. Cooking on the stove, on the other hand, is a gradual transformation that unfolds before your eyes.

This is a fabulous Banana Banana Bread recipe, simple and moist and redolent of the pureed fruit, topped with a delicate crushed walnut-turbinado sugar crust. It’s easy to see why it’s a top-rated recipe on Allrecipes.com. Lacking a loaf pan, I used a square one instead, which happily yielded more browned chewy corners. I added vanilla to the batter. Next time, I’ll throw in chocolate chips for Dan. But I prefer the unadulterated banana flavor.

Yes, I’m obsessed with the luscious orange persimmons of the Pacific Northwest. But as we move out of their peak season, it’s better to bake with them as they turn to mush.

Two holiday recipes for persimmon pudding caught my attention of late. Tonight I made Deborah Madison’s recipe (see bottom picture below), which I found of the Grist website. It was a delicate steamed British-style cakey pudding. But what a potchke to make! I’m not sure it was worth the effort. I just don’t have much experience steaming puddings in molds.

This persimmon pudding recipe that recently ran in the New York Times also interested me.

Any easier persimmon recipes you would recommend out there?