Persimmon Pudding

For a farm boy from Grays Chapel this time of year means the persimmons are starting to ripen and fall off the trees, something that will accelerate as the first frost approaches. That also means fresh persimmon pudding, a dessert our family likens to the nectar of the gods. Not particularly visually inspiring, I could have probably improved my photograph with a little whipped cream or fresh mint accent. After all, food photography is about making things look appealing. Here, I've shown a piece of persimmon pudding the way it was meant to be eaten. For sheer gastronomic ecstasy, all you really need is a plate, a slab of pudding, and a fork to eat it with (fork and plate are optional).

(Photographs copyright 2010 by Dan Routh)