Persimmon Swirl Scone for One

My friends have a persimmon tree, and they gave me some fine examples of perfect fruit. They’re gorgeous to look at, fun to cook with, and deliciously sweet. That doesn’t mean I can’t use them in something sweet, though. Look out!

For the Compote:

2 ½ TBLSP persimmon pulp (no skin or seeds, please), Hachiyas are best (it took about half of a small one)

4 teaspoons granulated sugar

Pinch of lemon zest (about 1/6 of the lemon)

½ teaspoon lemon juice (1 thick slice’s worth)

A dash of freshly grated nutmeg

For the Scone:

½ TBLSP chia seeds

1 ½ TBLSP cold water

1/3 cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sugar

A pinch of salt

2/3 TBLSP vegan butter

1 TBLSP dried cranberries or raisins

1 TBLSP almond milk

Make the Compote:

1. Combine the persimmon pulp, sugar, zest, juice, and nutmeg in a small pot over medium heat. Bring it to a boil, and then stir frequently until it’s thickened, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and let it cool.

Make the Scone:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

1. Grind chia seeds in a mortar and pestle or blender long enough to make a coarse meal (not a flour). (You can skip the grinding—the taste is a little less robust, but the seeds produce the same texture.) Place the ground seeds in a small container (or leave in the mortar), add 1 ½ TBLSP of cold water and stir briskly. Let sit for five minutes (while you mix the rest of the ingredients). The goopy result is a substitute for ½ of an egg, so if you’re not a vegan, you can use half a beaten egg.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl (flour, baking powder, sugar, salt). A cereal bowl is plenty big enough.
3. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife or a fork until it’s the texture of cornmeal.
4. Stir in the dried fruit.
5. Add in the chia goop and the almond milk. Mix briefly and press into a flattened circle on a lightly floured surface, about ½ inch thick.
6. Put about half of the compote onto the circle of dough. Fold the edges in, and then, enjoying the gloopiness of it, smudge the little packet a bit, so that the compote mixes in. It gets slippery very fast, so don’t worry too much about getting it evenly distributed. It won’t really marble either, because the dough gets wet fast. Consider it a semi-mix.
7. Reshape the dough into a disk, about ¾ of an inch high. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Place it onto the prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake for 15 minutes.
9. Use the balance of the compote to top each bite before you eat it. Yummy! In the photo, you’ll see that I enjoyed it with a little vegan cream cheese too. Oh boy. I made yummy noises all morning!