Persimmon Pudding (and the Lingonberry Panettone that Led Me Astray)

This isn't the first Sugar High Friday I'll have spent running around trying to find the right persimmon, the right pan, the right improvised pan solution...and all for that one bit of culinary fun I have every month- Sugar High Friday. On top of holiday stress, I can't say this was fun. I almost gave up.

12 years into being a resident of the Bay Area, I continue to be fascinated (and a little obsessed) with foods I didn't even know existed growing up- two fruits in particular pomegranates and persimmons, continue to come up in menus for me; I can't resist.

I thought persimmon pudding a fitting experiment for this month's SHF hosted by Kochtopf- I highly recommend her 12/22 post about a homemade Bûche de Noël- my husband is out buying ours for a party right now! Gorgeous!! Pan would fall all over himself with a celebratory Yule log like that!

Read the roundup of other SHF pudding posts here.

Little did I know that as well received as the persimmon pudding was, as dramatic as the burning brandy flame it required was (I'd only read as far into the second page to realize I was boiling brandy, not also lighting it on fire), I would find myself having eyes for a different dessert that appeared at the party.

First off, the useful (and not so useful stuff). A lovely process photo for those of you who like to look behind the curtain:


If you don't, in fact, have the fancy pan, a greased bundt pan is just dandy- butter the wax paper and cover the top to get it to steam cook with a round cake pan and submerge in a roasting pan- it works great.


















This persimmon pudding recipe works well for a party environment. You turn out the lights as you pour flaming brandy all over it. Nope, those photos didn't come out.


But with any dessert, beware of environments where your dessert isn't the one and only. The table had some stiff competition.


















One in particular drew me to it that I walked around the table for closer look as if helpless to the dictates of my own will.

Standing tall and flocked in dashing white powdered sugared tips, a gorgeous panettone cake cut into gear shapes appeared. Its protrusions were dipped in powdered sugar and between each layer-lingonberry cream!


















I had to go in for another look. Sometimes that once-in-a-lifetime dessert experience like this comes along. And when it does, you have to decide if the bond you have with your own dessert can withstand these moments of gustatory infidelity.




















Sometimes the answer is yes. All in the adventure of Sugar High Friday.

Happy Holidays!