Panforte and Persimmons: Road Trip Discoveries
New food discovered on road trips do just as Fannie Farmer’s 1912 cookbook says – they inspire me. In the span of a month of mostly local road trips, I’ve discovered panforte and persimmon bread, tackled one of them, eaten a lot of the other, made a mental investment on how the two lack the exaltation they merit, and arrived at this conclusion: panforte is to fruitcake what persimmon bread is to quick bread.

“The art of cookery, when not allied with a degenerate taste or with gluttony, is one of the criteria of a people’s civilization. We grow like what we eat: bad food depresses, good food exalts us like an inspiration.” — Fannie Merritt Farmer from her 1912 cookbook, A New Book of Cookery.
Fruitcake is made with things I don’t want to nibble while in the process of making it. What exactly is candied peel other than chunks and bits of glycerin color that show up on grocery shelves for a few weeks of the year in plastic containers that can’t be recycled? The only thing that makes fruitcake marginally palatable for most is a generous soaking of whiskey and a shot of the same thrown back with every bite.
Panforte on the other hand, is an epiphany.
Panforte (pan-FOHR-tay) is a dense, chewy, traditional Italian dessert created around 1200. Fruit, nuts and spices are suspended in a peppery, mahogany lava of sugar and honey that’s cooked to a candy consistency before troweling the concoction into a shallow round pan and sliding it into the oven. Yes, I said “peppery”, as in black and/or white pepper, and plenty of it. Confectioner’s sugar is dusted liberally on both sides while still warm. You won’t know whether to pour yourself a glass of sherry or yank out the milk jug.
Persimmon bread, or the persimmon bread I’ve been making, has a quick bread ease, but further comparison to quick bread halts there. The batter has the eye popping color of a 64-count box of Crayolas. The texture is complicated – heavy and damp, with the grain of the bread fine and light. The distinguishing ingredient, persimmons, conveys something rare and misunderstood – an uncommon fruit with a bad rap. Maybe the confection is so memorably good because expectations are low going in. But maybe it’s so good, because it’s ambrosial. The ancient Greeks knew the fruit as that of the gods.
Buy either the hachiya or fuyu persimmon, roast some nuts, and get to stirring!
I first posted a persimmon bread recipe when I wrote about the persimmon seed being a harbinger of winter. I’ve since adapted that recipe because that’s what I do. No recipe comes into my kitchen and exits unscathed. Here’s my version adapted from James Beard’s Beard on Bread.
Recipe: Persimmon Bread
Ingredients
- 3½ cups sifted AP flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2½ cups sugar
1 cup melted butter, cooled
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2/3 cup cognac, bourbon or whiskey
2 cups persimmon puree (from about 6 squishy-soft Fuyu persimmons)
2 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped
2 cups dates or raisins
Instructions
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- 1. Butter 2 full size loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess. If you want to use the paper loaf pans, the recipe will make several of these, depending on the size of the pans.
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- 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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- 3. Sift the first 5 dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
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- 4. Make a well in the center then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins/fruit.
- 5. Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Hi, I love to see a picture of the Persimmon pit. Before my husband George died, we lived on a farm in Dames Quarter. Along the driveway was a gorgeous Persimmon Tree. He stopped one day and picked one up off the ground. There were plenty on the tree but why waste a good Persimmon so he could see the look on my face, as he would laughingly say “Priceless”. He took his knife out and split it down the center. Then took the pit out and split that also. Darn, the Persimmon tasted so SOUR!!! hahahaha Anyway, he told me the story about the knife, fork and spoon in the Persimmon Pit. His grandmother told him about the Persimmon pit and since then, I’ve told anyone who would listen. LOL … The Farm is gone now and so is all but 2 members of George’s family. I often wonder if the Persimmon tree made it as far as I understand, all of is property has been sold and developed into Pretty, New Homes. Such a shame as at one time the only thing that lived there were trees, flours, boxwoods, Crepe Myrtle trees, grapes, chicken, ducks, geese, cats, dogs and the rest were fox, deer, Eagles, Hawks and other wild animals. They call it progress, I call it a sin. Thanks for the memory of the Persimmon Tree though. I love reading your posts.
Comment by Patty — December 8, 2015 @ 9:16 pm
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Pingback by But First, Persimmons — November 17, 2011 @ 8:54 pm
So glad everyone enjoyed this post. It is a yummy one. Persimmon bread has become my new favorite. And I don’t think I could ever get enough Panforte. Claymama, we need to hit Lovera’s Grocery again in Krebs. That’s where I bot the first panforte. We’ve not been there in quite sometime. We need to restock on all that delicious Italian food!
Comment by Tammie Dooley — January 17, 2011 @ 1:06 pm
Why didn’t we have some of this for Christmas?? HUH? No persimmons for sale down here…but wish there were….looks fabulous! ….AND can’t wait to taste it! Love ya
Comment by claymama — January 15, 2011 @ 8:11 pm
love this post. I’m hungry after reviewing it! Love ya.
Comment by james — January 14, 2011 @ 4:12 pm
I’m really excited to try this! The chicken tortilla soup recipe was amazing and this one also looks incredible. With posts like this, I can stop buying cookbooks and just read your blog. 🙂
Comment by Kris the Educated Vagabond — January 12, 2011 @ 12:19 pm
Yum! Looks fantastic.
Comment by Steven — January 8, 2011 @ 2:16 pm
The Persimmon Bread recipe looks divine. I must try it!
Comment by Suzanne — January 7, 2011 @ 11:05 pm
OMG, so delicious. You just made me hungry, though I couldn’t find anything as delicious in my cupboards – not even the ingredients 😉 Great photos too!
Comment by Fida — January 6, 2011 @ 10:27 pm
Ummmm YUM!!! This was dangerous to read, I’m trying to stay away from bread right now!
Comment by Andi — January 6, 2011 @ 3:09 pm
Your pictures make it look so good but you words make my mouth water and taste it. An absolutely yummy post. Can’t wait to try it.
Comment by Pops — January 6, 2011 @ 12:48 pm