Old-Fashioned Persimmon Pudding

From the garden

• 2 cups dead-ripe persimmons, pulped through a food mill or sieve — about 2 pounds American persimmons, or 4–5 fully soft Hachiyas

From the pantry

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour — whisked with 1 teaspoon baking soda, plus 1 teaspoon cinnamon if you keep it
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1½ cups milk
• 4 tbsp butter, melted — plus more for the dish
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup heavy cream, softly whipped (optional) — for serving

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 2-quart (8-inch square) baking dish. Work the persimmons through a food mill or push them through a sieve to catch skins and seeds; measure 2 cups of pulp.
2. Whisk the pulp with the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in the milk and melted butter.
3. Whisk the flour mixture and salt into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain — the batter will be thin, and that's correct.
4. Pour into the dish and bake 50–60 minutes. It will puff, darken to mahogany, and settle as it cools; the center should be set but soft, like a baked custard rather than a cake.
5. Serve warm in spoonfuls with softly whipped cream. It's just as loved cold from the pan the next day.