Persimmon and white chocolate bread pudding

I truly cannot describe fully what a pleasure it has been working with this fruit ! Soft fruit like nectarines , peaches and persimmon etc are really hard to come by in these parts ! As a result ,we rarely get to experiment with these flavours and textures ! It has without a doubt added to my culinary repertoire ,in many ways ! The ‘Hachiya’ persimmon is what this one is. It’s more commonly available in Asia. The ‘Fuyu’ is more round ,yellow and less astringent. This one is best to eat raw when fully ripe. The one above in the picture,still needed a bit of ripening but with the addition of sugar and cooking ,it tasted absolutely fine ! The key to knowing when the fruit is ripe is to twist the top leafy portion ,if it comes away easily ,then you know !

How fortunate am I to be surrounded by food enthusiasts who take the trouble to help me learn new  tastes ,in the comfort of my own home ! Kavitha and I have always traded recipes and food thoughts for as long back as I can remember. We coaxed each other along very often to follow through on a food idea or experience ! It’s amazing how a childhood friendship can evolve into sharing of ‘grown up’ interests while still retaining the warmth and affection…the food part of it is unique and timeless ! My blog posts,while being written, constantly have her in mind and it’s a way of my saying thank you for the years of culinary bonding 🙂

The endearing part was not only that she hand carried a Persimmon back for my kids but that she cooked me a delicious meal that ended with the delicious persimmon and white chocolate bread pudding ! Neatly baked in ramekins ,it was the perfect warm dessert for a cool evening ! The warmth from that meal continues to linger…

When you are made to feel that special ,it’s but natural that you want to pass on that feeling ! I am so glad that I was able to make the whole recipe ,to add cheer not just to my kids but to 5 other very special women ! While in the process of baking such an aromatic pudding ,you break into smiles every now and then as the scent of cinnamon and vanilla waft around your kitchen. more than my skills as a home cook ,these thoughts are what ,I believe,lead to a happy meal. This is what cooking with love ,feels like !

While at first ,it may not look that different ,you do notice a kind of luminous sunshine glow . That colour is due to the persimmon puree’.While the taste is not exactly highly distinguishable ,it does taste delicious and definitely elevates the simple bread pudding to another level ! As is obvious ,I enjoyed making it and look forward to making it again and this has also introduced many prospective ideas for future recipes !