I remember the first time I saw a persimmon tree. It wasn't that long ago, actually! Maybe five years?
I was on a walk with a friend in Mountain View, CA on a brisk December morning, and I saw these bright orange globes dangling on an otherwise barren tree. The stark contrast of the fruit against the cool grey sky was stunning. "What are those?!" I said to my friend. She scoffed at me like I was a goof and said, "Persimmons, Annie. You've never seen them before?" I hadn't! We grabbed one that was haning over the sidewalk, and when I tried the gooey, sweet, almost nutty bite of 'simmon goodness, I fell in love.
As these orange fruits have graced us with their presence once again, my pal Eveline suggested we make a bread with them. I googled some recipes that were both vegan (for my friend and my husband) and paleo (for me), and luckily I found one that looked delicious and full of whole ingredients.
We substituted the egg for a flax egg and otherwise followed the recipe from Bakerita to a "Tee." I turned out moist, cakey, not too sweet, nutty and textured perfectly with all the chunks of walnuts and pecans that we used. It tasted like Winter and warmed our hearts AND bellies.
The best part was baking with a sweet friend and eating the bread together with our husbands. In Holland, they have a wonderful work for this simple and intimate moment of comfort with others: Gezelligheid.
Earlier in the week I went on a walk at a new park in the hills surrounding my city. It was quiet out there and I felt a different kind of closeness. It was a kind of solitude and reverie, and I felt near to my own heart. If the Dutch have a word for this, I wish I knew!
