Persimmon Pudding -- high in Omega-3s

It's getting close to Christmas so I'm making my family's favorite Christmas dessert. 

It is none other than Nancy Reagan's Persimmon Pudding, which my sister-in-law Jenny Howell introduced our family to oh so many years (decades!) ago.

I always make several changes to the recipe to make it high in Omega-3s (and with a good Omega-6 to Omega-3 balance); and nobody, I promise, will know the difference. We're very lucky if we have any left for breakfast the next day. The kids love the flaming part of the pudding -- and the pudding too. Here's Nancy's original recipe with my suggestions. The next time you hear, "Oh, bring us a figgy pudding," think of this and sigh. The only trick to this recipe is buying the persimmons well ahead of time so that they are truly ripe (i.e.,soupy). I steam my pudding in a pressure cooker so it only takes 25 minutes or so to cook.  There are so many things that will be different about this Christmas but I hope the persimmon pudding is the same.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a steamed pudding!!

• 1/2 cup melted butter (grass-fed butter, of course!)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup flour, sifted (to make this high in Omega-3s, I use 4/5 cup flour and 1/5 cup flaxmeal) 

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

• 1 cup persimmon pulp (2 to 3 ripe ones)

chopped walnuts about 1/4 cup

• 2 tsp. baking soda

• 2 tsp. warm water

• 3 tbsp. brandy

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten (Omega-3 eggs, of course!)

• 1 cup seedless raisins

Stir together the melted butter and sugar. Mix the flour and flax with salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the persimmon pulp, soda dissolved in warm water, brandy, and vanilla. Add the eggs, mixing thoroughly but lightly. Add the raisins and nuts. Put in a buttered steam-type covered mold and steam two and a half hours or until thoroughly cooked. Flame at the table with 1/4 cup warmed brandy and serve with the Brandy-whipped cream sauce below or a simpler, lighter topping of slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Brandy-Whipped Cream Sauce

• 1 egg (Omega 3 egg, of course!)

• 1/3 cup melted butter (Grass-fed butter, of course!)

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

• Dash of salt

• 1 tbsp. brandy flavoring (optional)

• 1 cup whipping cream (Grass-fed if available)

Beat the egg until light and fluffy. Beat in the butter, powdered sugar, salt, and brandy flavoring. Beat the cream until stiff. Gently fold it into the first mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Stir before spooning on the pudding.