The "Famous" Persimmon Pie

Okay, so maybe it's not "famous" but in my family and friends circle, it's an absolute treasure. Since this is my first official blog post, I figured that I would kick it off with my very own recipe!

My in-laws are Filipino and they grow so many persimmons in their back yard that they'll bring us bags and bags full. The first year, I had no idea what to do with so many and they were starting to go bad before I had the chance to use them all. I had to start giving them away!

It wasn't too long before the idea of a pie popped in my head. Every pie recipe I found online (which were few and far between at the time) were more of a pureed pie and I wanted something different. Therefor, my persimmon pie recipe was born. If you try this recipe, please let me know!

Persimmon Pie

2 pre-made pie crusts (you'll probably want 3-4 if making a lattice top and/or adding decorative shapes)

9-10 persimmons (Peeled, cored, and sliced... like you would apples for an apple pie)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place one pie crust into your pie dish.

Then layer (as flat as you can) the persimmons in the crust.

Melt you butter in a saucepan on Med-Low heat.

Stir in the flour and make a paste.

Add in the water, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla. Bring to a boil.

Once it boils, reduce the heat and let simmer for a few minutes.

When the mixture is nice and thick, pour it over your apples. Leave a few tablespoons in the pot but remove it from the heat so that you can brush this glaze on the top of the crust later.

Place the second pie crust on top. Carefully cut slits so that the steam escapes while it bakes or you can make a lattice pattern.

Gently brush on the remaining glaze from the saucepan over the top crust (or lattice). This will give it a nice sweet crunch after it bakes.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35-45 minutes more, basically when you see the pie getting really bubbly.

Let cool in dish completely before cutting, preferably a few hours. You'll need the inside of the pie to set... otherwise you will have runny slices when you serve it. Enjoy!

Notes:

1) You can substitute apples instead of persimmons and you'll have a wonderful apple pie!

2) Homemade brown sugar really takes this recipe to the next level and it's so easy to make! Take 1/2 cup of white sugar and add 1 teaspoon of pure molasses to it. Mix them together with your fingers until all of the molasses dissolves into the sugar. Easy peasy. Nothing compares to the smell and flavor of real brown sugar. You'll never go back to store bought!

3) If you make a lattice pattern and you want to elevate the look, take some extra dough and use cookie cutters to make shapes or patterns. This is a great way to hide any seams! You can also use the extra glaze to make them stick.