Late Harvest Kitchen ★ 4.5
Late Harvest Kitchen in Indianapolis is Ryan Nelson's farm-to-table room near Keystone at the Crossing. The menu changes daily with a Hoosier-ingredient lean.
History
Native Indiana persimmons fruit in October across the wooded southern half of the state, especially the hills of Brown County. The Mitchell Persimmon Festival has run since 1947 and crowns a Persimmon Pudding Queen each fall. The dish moved north into Indianapolis dining rooms in the late 1900s as a seasonal Hoosier specialty.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 cups native persimmon pulp, or 2 cups Hachiya persimmon puree
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Softly whipped cream, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, whisk persimmon pulp and sugar until smooth.
- In a second bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the persimmon mixture along with the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 325 F for 60 to 70 minutes, until the top is set and dark and a tester comes out clean.
- Cool 15 minutes. Spoon out warm in the dish, top each portion with whipped cream.
Tip from the editors. Native Indiana persimmons taste different from Asian Hachiya or Fuyu. If you can't find native pulp at an Indiana farmers market in October, use fully ripe Hachiya puree instead of Fuyu, which is firmer and sweeter.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat brown county persimmon pudding
More cities are in research. Want brown county persimmon pudding covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.