Spiced Persimmon Crème Brûlée

Sweet pumpkin persimmons add a delightful flavor to this spiced persimmon crème brûlée. Top with sliced persimmons and perhaps a few candied pecans for a deliciously memorable holiday dessert.

Who doesn’t love crème brûlée? Soft custard, just barely set, topped with crunchy sugar blasted into goldenness by a kitchen torch. I tell you, friends, these are the things dreams are made of! 

As I mentioned in my Winter Crunch grape muffin post, this is not a sponsored post but I was gifted the pumpkin persimmons by Melissa’s Produce. It was such a treat to open the box and see all of the wonderful goodies inside! 

If you haven’t heard about their Family Baking Challenge, let me fill you in. There are more than $5,000 in prizes to be won, including a KitchenAid mixer. Full details and sign up here: Melissa's Produce website. 

Spiced Persimmon Crème Brûlée

Like many families, we are a small household these days so I tend to downsize recipes to minimize waste and leftovers. The original recipe on Bigger Bolder Baking makes six whereas mine makes only four. My recipe calls for 2 pumpkin persimmons which weighed 8.75 oz or 248g, about 1 1/4 cups after peeling, coring and cubing.

Ingredients for 4 crème brûlée

For the custard:

2 sweet pumpkin persimmons, plus 1 extra for serving

1 1/4 cups or 295ml heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Pinch fine sea salt

5 large egg yolks

4 tablespoons sugar

To serve:

extra sugar for the brûlée top

extra slices of pumpkin persimmon

Optional: candied pecans

Method

Peel, core and chop the pumpkin persimmons into small cubes. Aren't they a glorious color?

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream, persimmons, cinnamon and ginger over medium heat just to a simmer and then remove from the heat. 

Allow the persimmons to steep in the cream and infuse for 30 minutes.

Once the cream mixture has cooled, blend the mix either in a food processor or blender until the persimmon is really smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar. Gently whisk the cream mixture into the yolk mixture.

Lay a cheesecloth (or fine cloth) over a sieve and pass the custard base through it to remove persimmon pulp. This step is important to ensure a silky smooth brûlée. This takes some time and effort because the custard is thick but do persevere. It’s worth it! 

Heat your oven to 300°F or 150°C. Place four 6-ounce crème brûlée dishes in a roasting pan; set aside. As you can see, my largest deep baking pan only fits three so I used two pans which can fit on the same oven rack. 

Pour the persimmon custard into the dishes and transfer to the oven’s middle rack. (I had two cups of custard so half a cup or 4 oz each.) Pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the dishes.

Bake until set but still a bit jiggly in the center — about 35-40 minutes. Cool completely. Cover and chill for up to 2 days.

To brûlée the tops: sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over the top of each. I like to use a small sieve to make sure it's sprinkles evenly. 

Caramelize the sugar using a kitchen torch OR place dishes on a baking sheet and broil on high, watching carefully until bubbling and golden brown.

Let rest until the sugar hardens to a crisp shell. Top with a couple of slices of pumpkin persimmon and,if desired, candied pecans.

Enjoy!

If you love persimmons, you might also like my ripe persimmon muffins and a brief explanation of persimmon varieties.

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Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread #BreadBakers

Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and olives are blended with garlic to create the filling for this cheesy tomato tapenade party bread. Put it in the center of the table and let everyone help themselves!

At the beginning of what became this unusual year of social distancing and pandemic, I encouraged my Bread Baker group members to claim a month to host and choose a theme. So way back in February, our host Felice decided we should all bake tear-and-share breads. She wrote on our event page: “A Tear & Share, as it is known in the UK, is perfect for a holiday get-together. Sweet or savory, bake a tear & share (aka pull-apart bread) that celebrates the holiday season. It could be the shape, the flavors, or a tradition that fits with this theme.”

Little did Felice – or any of us know – that holiday get-togethers would end up being smaller or indeed postponed. Good thing that baking bread cheers us up!

I chose this bread because of the flavors, which remind me of a favorite party appetizer. Who doesn’t like a rich tapenade spread on tiny toasts? But I also think the shape would be beautiful to display, then share on a holiday table. 

Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread

The olives are the star ingredient for this pull-apart bread so use the best quality ones you can afford, preferably with the pits still in. I like dry oil-cured olives because the flavor is concentrated and the briny-ness they add really perks up a tapenade. This recipe is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe from his show Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast. 

Ingredients

4 cups or 508g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups or 295ml warm water

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the dough bowl and baking

3 1/2 oz or 100g whole black olives (100g was 32 dry oil cured olives)

1 clove garlic

6 soft sun-dried tomatoes (mine were already cut up – a little more than 1/2 oz or 16g by weight)

1 tablespoon drained capers 

3 1/2 oz or 100g Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Add the yeast and sugar to the measuring cup with the warm water and give it a quick stir. Set it aside for a few minutes to make sure the yeast is active and starts bubbling.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the yeasty water in. 

Stir in the flour from the outside to form a dough. I have a handy tool for this but you can certainly use a fork or spatula. 

Sprinkle your clean work surface with flour and knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 10 minutes. Roll it into a ball. Oil the bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and pop the dough ball back in, turning it over to coat the outside with the oil.

 Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about one hour or until it doubles in size.

Tip: If your kitchen is cold, as mine is right now, add warm water to a larger bowl (or your sink) and place the dough bowl in it. You may have to change out the water for more warm from time to time before the dough is fully risen. 

Meanwhile, pit the olives and peel the garlic. 

Use a mortar and pestle (or a small food processor) to turn them, along with the capers and sun-dried tomatoes, into a rough paste or tapenade. 

Set aside a little of your grated Parmesan for topping then add the rest into the tapenade. I added mine in two lots, whirring in between to combine thoroughly. 

If you are using a mortar and pestle, muddle in four tablespoons of olive oil. If you are using a small food processor, tip add the olive oil and pulse again to combine. 

Once it has risen properly, divide the dough into two equal pieces. (Mine weighed just over 14 oz or 400g each.) Sprinkle your clean work surface with flour and roll one piece into a circle about 11 in or 28cm wide. Line a baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner. Transfer the of the dough circle to the pan. 

Spread the cheesy tomato tapenade all over the dough and right to almost the edge.

Sprinkle your clean work surface with a little more flour and roll the other piece of dough into a circle about 11 in or 28cm wide.

Carefully place that dough circle on top of the tapenade and press down gently. 

Put a clean jam jar or drinking glass in the middle of the dough circle. Use a sharp knife to make 12 evenly spaced cuts from the jar to the outer edge.

I pretended mine was a clock and made cuts at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock then tried to make the two cuts in between each as evenly spaced as possible, which as it turns out, wasn’t so even. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter though so just do your best. 

Pick up each piece of dough and twist it three times before putting it back on the baking pan. 

Cover the dough lightly with a damp cloth or cling film and leave to prove again in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. In retrospect, I should have baked this on a round pizza pan because it did rise beautifully. Unfortunately since it couldn't spread in all directions, it turned out a little wider on the sides. 

As you get near the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. 

Sprinkle the dough with the reserved Parmesan cheese and drizzle on some olive oil. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 or until the bread is lovely and golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes. Garnish with some little basil leaves, if desired, and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Check out all the other great tear-and-share breads we have for you today! Many thanks to our host, Felice from All That's Left Are The Crumbs.

• Baklava Danish Tear and Share Bread by A Messy Kitchen
• Buttery Soft Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheesy Chicken Chutney Pull Apart Skillet Rolls by Sneha's Recipe
• Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread by Food Lust People Love
• Cranberry Cinnamon Star Bread by Making Miracles
• Fruit Mince Braided Star Bread by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Gingerbread Spice Christmas Tree Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Herb and Cheese Star Bread by Ambrosia
• Koledna Pitka - Bulgarian Christmas Eve Bread by Magical Ingredients
• Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Loaf by Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Finnish Pulla Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Spiced Chrysanthemum Bread by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Turkey, Cranberry and Cheese Pull Apart Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

The flecks of golden brown throughout these melt-in-your-mouth brown butter shortbread cookies are a testament to their rich buttery flavor. 

It’s confession time again. I first attempted this shortbread recipe a couple of years back as part of a challenge to make stamped cookies. The dough tasted fabulous and I was very excited about the new cookie stamp I had bought for the occasion. 

Unfortunately, despite chilling the dough for more than the requisite amount of time, my cookies turned out looking unstamped, plain, unacceptable. 

I’m sure the fault was mine because I browned my butter instead of using normal butter. But if brown butter is wrong, who wants to be right? Can I get an amen? 

The cookies did, however, taste wonderful! (I ask again, is there anything so lovely as brown butter? I maintain there is not.) So I had another go and made a more traditional shortbread shape instead. Success! 

These would be perfect to put out for Santa on Christmas Eve. To see more Cookies for Santa, make sure to scroll down passed my recipe for a great list from my Sunday FunDay friends. 

Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies

My recipe is adapted from one on the blog, An Italian in my Kitchen. As you will see if you follow the link, it is for stamped cookies. Note that the original is with normal butter, not brown butter.  

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups or 218.75g all purpose flour

1/4 cup or 32g cornstarch

1 cup or 227g butter

1/2 cup or 63g powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 8x8 in or 20x20cm pan by lining the bottom with a square of baking parchment. 

To make the brown butter: Melt, then cook the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally, until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the remainder into a heatproof container. Cool the butter slightly, then refrigerate until almost solid. For photos with instructions, I highly recommend this post by my friend Kayle, The Cooking Actress. 

Now that your butter is almost set, it’s time to make the cookie dough. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. 

Check out the brown butter:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the chilled browned butter with the sugar until they are soft and creamy. Admire the lovely flecks of golden brown and congratulate yourself into working brown butter into another recipe. 

Add the flour mixture to the creamy butter a few tablespoons at a time, beating briefly to combine in between. 

When the mixture begins to come together, move to a clean flat surface and knead until you have a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into two pieces and wrap them in cling film.  

Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Two thinner pieces chill more quickly than one thick piece. 

When the chilling time is up, press both of the dough pieces into the bottom of your prepared pan. Score the top with a sharp knife. 

Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut the shortbread into pieces where you scored. Leave to cool completely before removing from the pan.

Enjoy!

Years ago, we left out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve and he always seemed to enjoy them both, nothing but crumbs on the plate. This year has been a doozie and I’m sure Santa has earned those cookies more than ever. Check out the delicious list of cookies my SundayFunDay friends have been baking for him. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Brown Butter Shortbread from Food Lust People Love 
• Chocolate Shortbread with Sprinkles from Our Good Life 
• Eggless Nankhatai from Sneha's Recipe
• Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies with Nutella Filling from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Krumkake from Cooking With Carlee
• Macaroon Kiss Christmas Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies from Making Miracles
• Salted Honey Pecan Thumbprint Cookies from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Peppermint Crinkles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Toffee Coffee Bars from Palatable Pastime

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Stuffed Bagel Balls

These stuffed bagel balls are baked till golden with lovely cream cheese inside, topped with everything bagel seasoning. 

During the pandemic, I’ve been borrowing e-books like crazy through the Libby app, which allows you to add a number of library cards and search for books in your own local libraries. I have three cards, two here in Texas and one in the UK so I have had a wide variety of books to choose from. 

One of my recent loans was the cookbook Family Meal, published to raise money for the Restaurant Workers’ Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund. Since I didn’t buy the book I made a donation but I wanted to tell you about it, in case any of my readers might want to buy one. Or to make a donation to the fund, click here. 

Each recipe is preceded by a personal introduction from the chef or bakers and I really enjoyed getting to know many of whom I had never heard like Dominque Crenn, Gina Homolka and Sam Sifton and many I already love/admire like Ruth Reichl, Kwame Onwauchi, Ina Garten and Eric Ripert, among others. 

Stuffed Bagel Balls 

This recipe is based on the one Gina Homolka shared for her family’s favorite Bantam Bagel balls which she says they normally buy at their neighborhood Starbucks or in the freezer section at their local supermarket. I've never tried to buy them so I cannot verify this but she says they are often out of stock. No more worries when you can make them at home! I don't know about you but I almost always have these ingredients on hand as well. 

Ingredients

4 oz or 113g cream cheese in a block

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading, dusting, etc. 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt 

1 cup or 245g non-fat Greek yogurt   

For topping: 

1 egg white, beaten

Everything bagel seasoning

Method

Chill the cream cheese block in the freezer for about 15 minutes and then cut it into 8 even pieces. Pop it back in the freezer while you make the dough.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk well. Add the yogurt to the flour mixture. 

Use a fork and a light touch to gradually mix the flour into the yogurt. Gina says you'll get small crumbles but mine was wetter and more clumpy than that. 

Use a small strainer or sieve to lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out on it. 

Knead the dough, sprinkling with flour as needed when it gets too sticky. You want a smooth dough without lumps. Cut the dough into 8 pieces of equal size. I am a electronic scale user so I weighed the whole ball of dough and then I calculated how heavy each piece should be when divided by eight. Or you can eyeball it, your call. Roll each piece into a ball. 

Remove the cream cheese from the freezer and use clean damp hands to roll each piece into a ball or at least a cube with rounded corners. Return to the freezer. 

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and prepare a baking pan by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone liner. 

Flatten one ball of dough into a circle about 3 1/2 in or 9cm and then put one ball (or rounded lump, if we are being realistic) of cream cheese in the middle. 

Pull the sides of the circle up to cover the cream cheese and pinch the dough to seal it well. 

Roll it between your hands gently and place it sealed side down on the prepared baking pan. Repeat the process with the other seven dough/cream cheese balls.

Finally, use a pastry brush to brush the balls with the beaten egg white and sprinkle liberally with the everything bagel seasoning. I am a "the more toppings the better" kind of person. If I'd thought I could get away with rolling them in the egg wash and then the seasoning, I'd have totally tried it. In retrospect, that would have worked, so you do you. Next time! 

Tip: If you have an extra (read: clean/dry) pastry brush, use it to sweep up the seasonings on the pan from time to time so you can reuse it for sprinkling. This avoids waste but also stops all the toppings from burning on the pan, which no one wants. 

Bake the bagel balls for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until golden, turning the pan 180° midway through so the bagel balls brown evenly.

Let them cool for at least 10 minutes.  Then enjoy! 

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, so that means it’s time for a Foodie Extravaganza party. As you might guess from the list below, our theme is all things bagel. Many thanks to this month’s host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Bagels and Lox on the Casual Side by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chicken Donut Kebab Bagel Sandwich by Sneha's Recipe
• Everything Bagel Breakfast Casserole by Making Miracles
• Everything Bagel Seasoning & Avocado Topped Bagels by Palatable Pastime
• Marbled Rye Bagels by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Piquant Veggie Bagel Spread by Magical Ingredients
• Stuffed Bagel Balls by Food Lust People Love
• Za'atar-Dusted Bagels by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board

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