Sugar Plum Dreams

Sugar Plum Dreams ... Persimmon Desserts That Will Dance In Your Head by JUDITH MARA with TIM BURTON · Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum T ree? ‘ T is a marvel o f great ren o w n ! I t b lo o ms on t he s hore o f the Lollipop sea · In the garden of Shut-Eye Town; The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet · (A s th ose wh o h ave t ast ed i t s a y ) ·

T h a t g oo d litt le c hi ldren have only to eat · Of that fruit to be happy next day

EXCERPT FROM

The Sugar-Plum Tree by Eugene Field 1850 -1895

What are Sugar Plums?

For almost two hundred years, children have anticipated the night before Christmas with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. The Sugar Plum Fairy, ruler of the Land of Sweets in Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet, dances with sweets from all over the world. And Chicago writer Eugene Field wrote a famous children’s poem The Sugar-Plum Tree during the same era. Sugar plums were obviously something outstanding, but nobody really knows exactly what they are.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

EXCERPT FROM

A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clark Moore 1822 Children from long ago dreamt about sugar plums like today’s kids dream about Nerds and Skittles. So, many people have assumed that sugar plums were a type of candy or dragée. Others have concluded that they were a dried plum rolled in sugar.

Then it was recognized that historically all sweet dried fruits were referred to as plums (plum pudding anyone?). In England, as far back as the 17th century, the word “plum” was thought to comprehensively mean sweet, delectable or delightful.

sugar plum and smoked almond linzer squares with spiced butterscotch cream

View recipe by Mindy Segal on page 88 »

American Persimmon Basics

There are many words people use to describe the flavor of a persimmon. Pastry Chef Mindy Segal sums it up this way, “[A persimmon] tastes like a cross between a quince and a under ripe pear”. Grower Tim Burton says, “I’ve had two people say the flavor takes them back to the flavor of a Creamsicle”. We’ve also heard they taste like apricots and mangos or both. All this means is they have a mild flavor of their own and are very sweet––a lot like what you’d think a sugar plum would taste like.

American persimmons are related to Hachiya persimmons, the heart-shaped variety that is common in grocery stores, and should be handled in the same way. The fruit needs to be super ripe and extremely soft to the touch before extracting the pulp. If all you can get are firm persimmons you must let them undergo the bletting (sit until they are over ripe) process for a few days. Some people remove the skins, others only remove the seeds before puréeing.

To Purchase Burton’s Sugar Plum Pureé online visit: www.burtonsmaplewoodfarm.com

sticky toffee sugar plum pudding and sugar plum gelato

View recipe by Elizabeth Falkner on page 90 »

Jumping across the Atlantic Ocean, American colonists were introduced to new varieties of “plums” by Native Americans. William Strachey, the first Secretary of The Colony, was the first to connect American persimmons grown on our soil to “plombs” (plums) in his manuscript titled Historie of Travaile into Virginia Britania, written in 1612.

“They have a plomb (plum) which they call pessemmins (persimmon), like to a medler (fruit) ... they grow on a most high tree. When they are not fully ripe, they are harsh and choakie, and furre (fur) in a man’s mouth ... howbeit, being taken fully ripe, yt is a reasonable pleasant fruict, somewhat lushious. I have seene our people put them into their baked and sodden puddings; there be whose taste that allows them to be as pretious (precious) as the English apricock; I confesse it is a good kind of horse plomb.” Strachey very accurately described this mysterious fruit, even though through time American persimmons have evolved into a bigger, sweeter cultivar. And, between beinga “plum” (sweet) and a “plomp” (plum), it is understandable how today’s growers such as Tim Burton of Maplewoods Farm in Medora, Indiana fondly call American persimmons sugar plums.

sugar plum panna cotta with bourbon barrel aged maple syrup

View recipe by Della Gossett on page 87 »

Not even knowing the complete history, Tim and his family have always thought of the persimmons that grow on their farm as sugar plums for very good reasons.

Their sugar plums are harvested from October through December. It is no accident that this fruit is harvested around the holidays when they plop to the ground, because persimmons cannot be eaten unripe. If you do, you’ll never forget the experience. The acute astringency of a persimmon will wick all the moisture from your mouth in just one bite.

But don’t let that intimidate you. If you can get ahold of tree-fallen persimmons, store-bought persimmons that you have bletted (let sit) until crinkled and overripe, or frozen persimmon purée, you will have sugar plums dancing in your head with sugary pleasure. Replace our pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving? Some think that is sacrilegious. Others think persimmon purée is the best thing that happened to holiday desserts since pumpkin. To find out what expert chefs think, Tim sent four famous pastry chefs some of his sugar plum purée to create holiday desserts.

For all four chefs this was the first time using American persimmon purée in a recipe, and all four were more than pleased that sugar plums really do grow on trees.

“We forgo the traditional pumpkin pie for my wife Angie’s sugar plum pie or pudding; everyone can’t wait for the holidays because of these,” says Tim.

persimmon pie

Amended recipe by Paula Haney on page 92 »