Countdown for my 'Dish - a - day blog' - Day 10

Of all the countless New Year's resolution I've made over the past decades, I cannot really recall a single one that I've kept and seen through over the next 365 days. And when I started my other daily blog 'A Dish a Day'  on a whim on Jan 1st 2012, I honestly never really expected to go past April (counting all the dishes I had whipped up for this blog and the numerous community picks that I've had the privilege of testing for Food52). This is not taking into account the inherent lethargy that I was sure , would make me skip days at my whim.


I just proved myself wrong, totally wrong. For not only did I find the willpower within myself to go though with this project every single day ( except for one day I missed during the memorial day weekend, while on a family reunion trip) and four day during Hurricane Sandy, when the power went off for a whole week.

Yes,  this labor of love meant that I could not take many days off for holidays (especially much awaited trips to India), and I pretty much confined my outings to short weekend outings with just  my other half and kids (which were a delightful blessing in disguise). I definitely struck it lucky because my entire extended family had planned trips to this side of the pond and I never missed those precious family moments one bit.  To quote Shahrukh Khan from the movie Om Shanti Om. "Agar kisi cheez ko puri chiddat se chaho, to puri kayanaat usse aapse milvane par majboor ho jaati hai" (If you desire something with all your hear then the entire Universe conspires to fulfill your wish)

I'd like to wrap up these last 10 days with daily blog posts with the recipes I'd like to share simultaneously on both blogs. Thank you all, so much for helping me go though my very first successful New Years resolution.

Persimmon Christmas bread:
 (recipe inspired by and adapted from Mrs. Liz Larkin's recipe on Food 52)

You need:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup fresh persimmon pulp (from 3 fully ripened Hachiya persimmons, or about 5 Fuyu persimmons)
2  cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon  baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped toasted  walnuts.

Preheat oven to 300 F.
 Line a muffin tin with baking cups. (there will be left over batter for 2 miniature loaf tins, so if  you choose, coat the loaf tins with butter and dust with flour. Add the Persimmon pulp into a blender and blend into a smooth pulp.

Sift the All purpose flour, baking soda , baking powder, the ground spices. Toss in  the walnuts and coat thoroughly with the flour (this ensures that the nuts do not sink while baking).

Cream the butter and sugar until the mixture becomes  fluffy.  Slowly add the persimmon pulp and mix well.

 Slowly add the flour mix into the wet ingredients while keeping the mixer running, until all the flour is incorporated. The batter will be quite thick. Spoon about 2 oz (one heaped coffee scoop) into the muffin tins. and smooth down the top (something I forgot to do), Divide the left over batter into the mini loaf tins.

Place the muffin tins and the mini loaf pans in the center rack of the oven and bake for about 35 - 40 minutes. Test with a cake tester. If the tester comes out clean after inserting into the center of the loaf, the bread is done. Allow the bread / muffin to cool in the pan over a rack. slice and serve warm.

 Bon appetit!