Instructions: For the Pudding: Stir together sugar and butter in a bowl. Sift flour with salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture. Add persimmon pulp. Dissolve baking soda in warm water. Add 3 tablespoons brandy and vanilla. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs and mix lightly but thoroughly. Add raisins and nuts, if desired.

Pour into buttered 5- to 6-cup heat-proof mold or loaf pan. Top mold with parchment paper and cover with heat-proof plastic wrap. Place on wire rack in kettle or Dutch oven. Pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up sides of mold. Cover kettle and simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Let stand a few minutes. Discard plastic wrap and parchment paper. Unmold onto heat-proof serving plate. Pour about 1/4 cup warmed brandy over pudding and ignite, being careful to keep hands, clothing and face out of reach. Serve with Brandy Whipped Cream Sauce.

For the Brandy Whipped Cream Sauce: Beat egg until light and fluffy. Beat in butter, sugar, salt and brandy flavoring. Beat whipping cream until stiff. Gently fold into egg mixture. Cover and chill.

This recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.

Caution: Although many recipes call for uncooked eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found them to be a potential carrier of food-borne illness and recommends that infants, the elderly and immuno-compromised people avoid raw eggs.

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