Persimmon season nets brownies, meringue pie

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

I recently came across these old recipes while browsing the archives looking for story ideas. I think we’re past persimmon season, but if you happen to have your own tree or a stash of frozen persimmons you may find this recipe of value. I’m going to tuck it away to have on hand for the next time I see persimmons at the farmers market. According to an article by the UA Cooperative Extension, persimmons in Arkansas ripen from September to November “with fruit hanging on the tree until early winter.” So maybe, some of you still have persimmons.

When I was a kid, my North Little Rock grandmother, whom we called Buba, had persimmon trees in her yard. And although I can’t remember ever eating one (Buba said they were too sour), I do remember cutting into the fruit and prying open the pit and trying to decipher if we saw a fork, spoon or knife. The cutlery shape was purported to be an omen of the winter to come. It was never correct, but it made a good memory — to this day I think of my grandmother every time I see a persimmon.

Maybe, if we’d had this brownie recipe way back then we would have put her fruits to use.

These recipes originally were published Dec. 12, 1974, in the Arkansas Gazette, shared by an Alley Kat wishing to remain anonymous.

Persimmon Brownies

1 quart persimmon pulp

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

½ cup butter

Nuts, optional

Mix pulp, sugar, spices and eggs. Add milk, flour, butter and nuts.

Bake in two 9-inch square pans in a 300 degree oven to consistency desired — to eat with spoon, fork or fingers — about 2 hours for squares unless the pulp is very juicy, in which case it could require 3 hours to dry out.

Persimmon Meringue Pie

Filling:

2 cups persimmon pulp

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon mace

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind Salt

2 egg yolks, beaten 2 teaspoons butter

1 baked 9-inch pie shell Meringue:

2 egg whites

3 tablespoons sugar

Mix pulp, sugar, seasonings and a pinch of salt in saucepan and cook slowly for 5 minutes, stirring.

Beat egg yolks with butter; stir in some persimmon mix and when blended add eggs to remaining persimmon mix, stirring until slightly thicker over low heat. Cool.

Pour into pie shell and cover with meringue made by beating egg whites until frothy, then slowly adding sugar while continuing to beat until stiff. Brown in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.