TRYING PERSIMMONS PART #2 AND MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK FOR PREPARATION FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Let's face it -nobody has ever done a more complete book for preparing for the Holidays than the 1989 classic "Martha Stewart's Christmas" Book.  I pick it up year after year and reread the recipes and look at those wonderful photos! 

 Last week I bought 3 persimmons at the grocery store and on Thanksgiving Day I decided to make Martha Stewart's Steamed Persimmon Pudding!  I have 4 lidded pudding containers and used the 2 quart size for this pudding:

The smell of the persimmons - by the way - these must be very ripe indeed- was a little like a mango...

I used a lidded turkey roaster and filled it with water 1/2 the way up and steamed the pudding for 2 hours 15 minutes!

It came out looking wonderful!  I followed Martha's instuctions and made the lemon sauce which I poured over the pudding...

The cinnamon spice gave it a light spice flavor that was very nice!

A very pretty presentation and also unique!

Fannie Farmer's Steamed Fruit Pudding

This winter one of the books I have been perusing is "The Victorian Cookbook" published in l989 by Michelle Berriedale-Johnson.  It is an extensive research about cooking in the Victorian era.  There is a great deal of information about Fannie Farmer.  When we think of her- we think of fudge - a candy shop if you will.  Actually she founded a cooking school in Boston in 1902 and her "Boston Cooking School Cookbook" was a best seller.

The Victorians loved steamed puddings. This book features one of Fannie Farmer's Blueberry Puddings. 

 Many Christmas Plum Puddings included ground suet in the recipes, but not this one. You could serve it anytime of the year- not just Christmas. Pudding molds are available in 1 quart and 2 quart sizes and have lids. In her Martha Stewart's Christmas Recipe Book from 1989, Martha made 300 puddings in bowls over a 3 day period (for her "closest friends and relatives").