Bena Mae’s Kitchen: The Sky is Falling

Chicken Little was right. For the past several days we were warned that pieces of a satellite would fall to earth in the next eleven hours but scientists weren’t sure where it would fall. So I considered wearing my husband’s old WII helmet to bed just in case.
When I woke up this morning, I looked around my yard and saw no evidence of debris having fallen on the ground during the night. I learned later that sightings of some of the pieces were seen falling somewhere in the northern Pacific, missing my house by several thousand miles. There went my fifteen minutes of fame. No appearances on CNN, no talk show invitations. Maybe next time.
When I was growing up, the most exciting thing that appeared in the sky was an occasional airplane flying over our house. That was enough to bring us outdoors to watch as it went over the horizon and disappeared from sight. But things have dramatically changed since that time when our boundaries consisted of going from East Corbin to South Corbin. Anything beyond that held no interest to us.  
But what a difference between those simple times and now. Since the Sputnik scare, we’ve trained our eyes to look toward the sky. A sense of paranoia has consumed us with a feeling that disaster may be just around the corner. Enter Chicken Little’s prophecy.
Big things are happening every day and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them. Every time a crisis comes along, another one pops up to take its place.  But I can remember when the fall season had a much calmer air to it, when things were more personal and stayed in our memory for ages and ages.   
Ladies, do you remember your first ban-lon sweater set that signaled the beginning of fall? Every girl had to have one at the start of the school year. We dressed “nice” as they say, with our knife- pleated skirts and our black-and-white saddle oxfords and bobby socks.  And we wouldn’t have been caught dead with the grunge look that came along later.
Remember carrying a little compact that held a mirror and a cake of face powder. And Tangee lipstick. Did it come in any shade besides orange?
I regret that kids can no longer walk home safely from school any more because that used to be such an adventure after sitting at a school desk all day.  There were usually three of us walking together and every day we would find creative (or forbidden) things to do. I recall a persimmon tree that we robbed of ripe persimmons–and they had better be ripe when you bite down on them. If you’ve ever eaten an unripe persimmon, you know what I’m talking about. Green ones draw your mouth until your lips pucker.
Are persimmons sold in stores today?  They used to be such a delicious treat.
The smell of wood smoke in the fall is one of the most nostalgic, memory-inducing smells we can conjure up. But today it is one of the rarest since the invention of central heating.  And leaf burning is illegal. So if your nose picks up an odor that is foreign to you, you had better call the EPA or the FBI immediately. Toxic is the key word in these modern times.
I find it sad that Fall, once one of the most pleasant seasons of the year, is now becoming a bittersweet memory. If only we could resurrect that warm and fuzzy feeling it gave us those many years ago.

Persimmons are available during the fall through early winter, and while they aren’t as well-known or popular as some other fruits, they are delicious and make fabulous desserts. Persimmon pie is a favorite way to use ripe persimmons; it is different and delicious.
Persimmons can be easily pureed for this pie by halving them, scraping the pulp into the blender or food processor, and processing until smooth. While the skin is edible and can be pureed with the pulp, it is generally a bit coarse; this pie has a better texture if the skin is left out of the puree.
Homemade Pie Crust is best, but for a cook in a hurry, refrigerated crusts can be used.

Persimmon Pie Recipe

2 1/4 cups persimmon pulp, (from about 2 pounds persimmons)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 9” unbaked pie shell
2 cups sweetened whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 425°.
Whisk together the persimmon pulp and lemon juice.
Mix in the egg, whipping cream, milk, sugar, salt, and cornstarch until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the pie shell.
Bake 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Turn the heat down to 350° and bake the pie until set, 40-50 minutes.
Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly.
Serve with whipped cream.