Comfort Food Classics: Banana Cream Pudding {She Made/Ella Hace}

Creamy banana pudding made with galletas Maria's and vanilla-flavored atole mix.

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When you think Valentine's Day, the first things that come to mind are chocolates and roses. I love all things chocolate and my hubby never fails to surprise me with a beautiful bouquet, but he also knows that the best way to win my heart is if the words "banana cream" are involved. Like say, banana cream pie or this easy, no-fuss Banana Cream Pudding. Today, my good friend Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen are sharing Valentine's Day recipes for this month's She Made/Ella Hace. So be sure to visit Heather's blog for a swoon-worthy Love Potion Cocktail.

12 February 2017

Comfort Food Classics: Banana Cream Pudding {She Made/Ella Hace}

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Agua de Cuaresma

Cuaresma (Lent) is upon us!  That means Meat-Free Fridays will be making a comeback to my Cocina during the next 40+ days.  Some of the recipes I'll be sharing this year for Lent are...Tortitas de Camaron and Capirotada (Traditional Mexican Bread Pudding).   But for this first Friday of Cuaresma, I'm going to share a traditional Agua Fresca recipe that is near and dear not only to my Hubby's heart, but also to the hearts of generations past of this fair pueblito we call home.

15 February 2013

Agua de Cuaresma

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Cheers to Summer! {Banana Daiquiris}

Even though Hope's & Nick's graduations have come and gone, I still feel like celebrating.  I mean, it is summer vacation, after all!  That in itself is a huge reason to celebrate.

No more waking up before the sun comes out.  No more kiddies to send off to school.  No more rushing to pick them up on time.  No more graduation planning committee meetings to attend.  And no more stress or worries about it all to keep me up at night.

And best of all, my life will finally return to some kind of normalcy.  (I hope!)  I couldn't be happier!

So, to celebrate I am jumping right back in with my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  This week's theme is "Salud!" (Cheers!)   I chose to make Rick's Banana Daiquiris.  They're sweet, cool and creamy.  And the bright color is so bright and cheery.   Banana Daiquiris are wonderful way to toast to family, friends and just about anything else on a sunny, summer afternoon.

Salud! 
  

Banana Daiquiris
(Recipe slightly adapted from Rick Bayless)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 ripe banana, peeled
• 1/2 cup orange juice 
• 1/4 cup white rum
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• A splash of vanilla extract (optional) 
• Orange slices, for garnish

Directions:

Puree the ice cubes, banana, orange juice, rum, sugar, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses.  Garnish with orange slices.  Enjoy!!!

* For a sweet & fruity Strawberry Daiquiri substitute 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries in place of the banana; omit the vanilla extract.  




IHCC theme: Salud!

08 July 2012

Cheers to Summer! {Banana Daiquiris}

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Comfort Food Classics {Banana Pudding}

I don't know about you, but Mondays aren't always my favorite day of the week.  There's always so much to do and well, 2-day weekends aren't long enough to rest and relax and prepare to face a new week.

Mondays are much better after a 3-day weekend.  But since there just aren't enough of those, I've had to find another way to make Mondays more bearable.

I find that a yummy, creamy, dreamy dessert like Banana Pudding turns an ordinary Monday into something extraordinary.

This Southern classic reminds me of my great-grandmother Pearl, who made the best Banana Pudding I've ever tasted.  One bite of this creamy dessert had me feeling like I was sitting in her kitchen back in Amarillo.  

Banana Pudding is traditionally made with vanilla wafers.  And as you all know, there are just some things that I can't find here in my small town.  You also know that I'm not one to let a little thing like that keep me from enjoying one of my childhood favorites.  Maria's cookies were a perfect substitute.

Whatever type of cookie you choose to use, this Banana Pudding is a delicious treat any day of the week. 

Homemade Banana Pudding
(slightly adapted from Southern Plate by Christy Jordan)

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Maria's cookies
• 5 ripe bananas, sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, yolks and egg whites separated
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Start by placing a layer of cookies in the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish (square or round). 

Top the cookies with a layer of sliced bananas.  Continue alternately layering the cookies and bananas until you have three layers of each. 

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar with the flour and salt.

Gradually stir in the milk, whisking until the flour and sugar have dissolved and no lumps remain.

Whisk in the egg yolks until well combined.

Place the sauce pan on the stove and cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened.  (About 15 minutes.)

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Immediately pour the vanilla pudding on top of the layered cookies and bananas.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325F.  While you wait, prepare the meringue topping by beating the egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until foamy.  Add the powdered sugar.

Continue to beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Spoon the egg whites on top of the vanilla pudding, making sure to spread all the way to the edges.

Bake at 325F for about 15 minutes or until the meringue turns a light golden brown. 

Let cool to room temperature before serving.  Or refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving.  Enjoy!!! 

Linking up this week with:

29 August 2011

Comfort Food Classics {Banana Pudding}

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Happy Lil' Surprise: Bionicos (Mexican Fruit Salad)

A couple of months ago, the beginning of Summer to be exact, I had a sumptuous recipe to share with all of you.  It was THE perfect recipe to use all of the wonderful Summer fruits available at the market. As I was writing the recipe and uploading the pics, my internet connection went out.  I didn't think that it was going to be a problem, because Blogger automatically saves your drafts every couple of minutes. While I waited for my internet connection to return, I decided to do a little Spring Cleaning with the pics on my computer.  I copied my favorite pics to a disc and deleted the rest, including my food pics that I had already used on this blog.  And being ever-so-slightly OCD, I even deleted everything in my recycling bin.

When my internet connection finally returned, I immediately went back to finish the recipe I had been working on.  Well...imagine my surprise when I saw that none of what I had written had been saved, nor had the pics. Noooooo! That really is one of the worst things that could happen to a food blogger.  I was devastated.

Fast forward to today...
I was working on the my recipe index and was looking through my Picassa Web Albums for pics.  Now imagine what a surprise it was to find the pics of the Summer Fruit recipe I had wanted to post months ago!  Woo-hoo!  I am so happy and excited that I just have to share the recipe before I lose the pics again.

The actual name of this fruit dish is Bionico, but here in town we also call it a Preparado.  It's a very popular breakfast at the town's market.  It's a fruit salad make with a mixture of your favorite fruits, Mexican crema sweetened with honey and ground cinnamon and topped with your choice of granola, strawberry jam and/or shredded coconut.

If you want a lighter, healthier Bionico, substitute plain yogurt for the Mexican crema.  This is a great fruit salad to make all year long, using whatever fruits are in season at the moment.

Bionicos (Mexican Fruit Salad)


Ingredients:

• 2 cups Mexican crema or plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Apple
• Papaya
• Banana
• Strawberries
• Mango
• Guavas
• Granola (for garnish)
• Strawberry jam (for garnish)
• Shredded coconut (for garnish)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the Mexican crema, honey, sugar and ground cinnamon until the sugar dissolves; refrigerate until ready to use.

Peel and chop your favorite fruits into bite-sized pieces. (I used banana, strawberries, apples, papaya, guavas, and mango.)  You need about 1 cup of fruit per serving. Pour the crema mixture over the fruit; stir gently to combine.

Spoon the fruit mixture into individual bowls or cups.  Top with a dollop of strawberry jam, and sprinkle top with shredded coconut and granola. Enjoy!

30 September 2010

Happy Lil' Surprise: Bionicos (Mexican Fruit Salad)

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Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I am so excited to tell you about this month's Cake Slice Baker's cake.  Ever since my copy of the Southern Cakes cookbook arrived in the mail, the one cake we've all wanted is the Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting.  But for some reason or another (holidays, my oven not working, illness) I haven't gotten around to baking it.  When I announced to my Hubby and kiddies that April's cake was the Banana Cake, they jumped up and down with excitement.  There is something about Banana and Chocolate that drives us all bananas!

We were not disappointed.

The Banana Cake is super moist and absolutely delicious.  It would make a great snack cake, without any frosting.  I baked it in a 9x13-inch baking pan instead of in two 9-inch round pans.  

And the frosting?  You can never go wrong with chocolate!  I didn't have enough powdered sugar, so I halved the recipe and still had enough to frost the top of the cake.  While writing this post I realized I made a HUGE mistake.  The frosting is supposed to be cooked, but I prepared as if it were a Buttercream frosting.  Oops! 

This cake is definitely a keeper.  Be sure to see what the other Cake Slice Baker's thought of this cake.

Banana Cake (from the Southern Cakes cookbook by Nancie McDermott)

Ingredients:

Banana Cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened
• 1½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk*
• 1½ cups mashed ripe banana

Chocolate Frosting:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk or half-an-half
• 4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

* If you don't have any buttermilk, stir in 1-1/2 teaspoons of white vinegar into 1/2 cup of milk.  Set aside for 10 minutes.

While you're waiting for the milk to sour, place the bananas in a medium bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans.  (Or a 9x13-inch baking pan.)   Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to combine well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat well, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs, one by one, and then the vanilla. Beat well for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally until you have a smooth batter.

Using a large spoon or wire shisk, stir in half the flour just until it disappears into the batter.

Stir in the buttermilk.

And the remaining flour in the same way.

Quickly and gently fold in the mashed banana.

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Pour the cake batter into the cake pan(s).

Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake(s) are golden brown, spring back when touched lightly in the center.

To make the frosting, combine the butter, cocoa and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until the cocoa dissolves into a dark shiny essence. Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners sugar and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at low speed until you have a thick smooth frosting.  (I still can't believe that I didn't catch this part!)

Spread frosting over cake.

Enjoy!!!

With Love,

Printable Version

22 April 2010

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

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Agua Fresca de Plátano (Banana Agua Fresca)

Bananas are one of my family's favorite fruits, that never last too long on the kitchen counter. But occasionally I'll have a couple of bananas that have gotten to ripe for my family's taste, and instead of letting them go to waste, I use them to make my hubby's favorite agua fresca: Agua de Plátano. It's creamy, delicious, and oh so refreshing!

02 December 2009

Agua Fresca de Plátano (Banana Agua Fresca)

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