I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
was a kid. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.

Now I can't find one without them. When did nuts become part of the
standard banana cream pie? And why???

- Tom

Weltanscha wrote:
> I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
> was a kid. *I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
> cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.
>
> Now I can't find one without them. *When did nuts become part of the
> standard banana cream pie? *And why???

Could be about where you live. What kind of nuts? Often banana cream
pie is garnished with toasted coconut, contains pineapple and rum.
Nothing is preventing you from making your own and omitting the nuts
(and adding whatever), probably no other pie so easy to prepare as
banana cream pie.

banana rum cream pie
Gourmet | March 2007


This voluptuous rum-spiked pie will surprise you with its complexity —
a hint of curry powder adds an elusive undertone that makes it
particularly delicious.

Makes 8 servings.

Quick Kitchen


1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs from 9 (4 3/4 - by 2 1/4-inch)
crackers
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon curry powder (preferably Madras)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 cup chilled heavy cream
4 teaspoons dark rum
4 firm-ripe bananas

Special equipment: a 9-inch pie plate

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together crumbs, butter, curry powder, cinnamon, and 2
tablespoons brown sugar in a bowl with a fork until combined well.
Reserve 1 tablespoon crumb mixture for garnish and press remaining
crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of pie plate.
----


coconut-banana tartlets
Bon Appétit | June 1997


The filling of coconut, bananas and cream is sweet, chewy and
absolutely delicious. Coconut also makes an appearance in the cookie-
like crust.

Makes 6 Servings.


Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (about) ice water
Filling
1 1/3 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3 firm but ripe bananas, peeled, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar


For crust: Mix flour, coconut, sugar and salt in processor until well
blended. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture
resembles coarse meal. Mix in vanilla and enough water to form moist
clumps. Knead dough briefly on work surface to combine; flatten into
disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until dough is firm, at least 2 hours
and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each dough piece on lightly
floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 6-inch rounds. Line six
4-inch-diameter tartlet pans with removable bottoms and 3/4-inch-high
sides with dough rounds. Freeze crusts 15 minutes.
Place tartlet pans on large baking sheet.

Bake crusts 10 minutes; pierce with toothpick if crusts bubble.
Continue to bake until crusts are pale golden, about 10 minutes
longer. Cool crusts on baking sheet. Reduce oven to 350°F.
For filling: Place coconut in medium bowl medium bowl.

Add banana slices and toss gently to coat. Stir cream and sugar in
heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and
mixture comes to boil. Pour cream mixture over banana mixture; gently
combine. Spoon filling into prepared crusts.
Bake tartlets on baking sheet until filling bubbles and coconut is
lightly toasted, about 25 minutes.

Cool tartlets on rack 5 minutes. Carefully push up pan bottoms to free
tartlets from pans. Cool tartlets completely and serve.

Add banana slices and toss gently to coat. Stir cream and sugar in
heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and
mixture comes to boil. Pour cream mixture over banana mixture; gently
combine. Spoon filling into prepared crusts.
Bake tartlets on baking sheet until filling bubbles and coconut is
lightly toasted, about 25 minutes.

Cool tartlets on rack 5 minutes. Carefully push up pan bottoms to free
tartlets from pans. Cool tartlets completely and serve.
----

On Sat, 3 May 2008 11:41:11 -0700 (PDT), Weltanscha
> wrote:

>When did nuts become part of the
>standard banana cream pie? And why???

Ya like nuts...ya use 'em. Ya don't like nuts...ya leave 'em out.

"Billy" <Hereiam@hotmaildotcom> wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 3 May 2008 11:41:11 -0700 (PDT), Weltanscha
> > wrote:
>
>>When did nuts become part of the
>>standard banana cream pie? And why???
>
> Ya like nuts...ya use 'em. Ya don't like nuts...ya leave 'em out.

Or, more simply, ya got girl pies and ya got boy pies.

Sheesh!

Weltanscha wrote:

> I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
> was a kid. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
> cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.

Never heard of that.

> Now I can't find one without them.

Make your own.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

> Weltanscha wrote:
>
>> I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
>> was a kid. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
>> cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.
>
> Never heard of that.
>
>> Now I can't find one without them.
>


Haven't had banana cream in many years. I liked it but it was never my
favorite. I have never seen it with nuts and when I read your post my
first thought was "yuck" but as I thought about it, roasted and chopped
macadamias sound pretty good as long as they didn't get soggy.

Someone mentioned coconut. Shredded coconut of any kind is a nasty
texture to me but I do love the flavor of it in Asian food and things
like pina coladas.

gloria p

"Default User" > wrote in message
...
> Weltanscha wrote:
>
>> I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
>> was a kid. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
>> cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.
>
> Never heard of that.
>
>> Now I can't find one without them.
>
> Make your own.
>
>
>
I was thinking, remove them from the top of the pie.

On Sat, 3 May 2008 23:40:29 -0400, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>
>"Default User" > wrote in message
...
>> Weltanscha wrote:
>>
>>> I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
>>> was a kid. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
>>> cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.
>>
>> Never heard of that.
>>
>>> Now I can't find one without them.
>>
>> Make your own.
>>
>>
>>
>I was thinking, remove them from the top of the pie.
>
I was thinking "banana split". Maybe the next nouveau chef will put
chocolate in the banana cream pie - maybe a chocolate cookie crust,
maybe a chocolate lined crust. After that, they'll put strawberries
on it. What could follow that? Grilled pineapple, of course!

sf
not a banana cream pie eater, but I've heard of it

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

On Sat 03 May 2008 08:56:12p, sf told us...

> On Sat, 3 May 2008 23:40:29 -0400, "cybercat" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Default User" > wrote in message
...
>>> Weltanscha wrote:
>>>
>>>> I don't remember banana cream pies having nuts on top of them when I
>>>> was a kid. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered nuts, since banana
>>>> cream pie is my favorite, and the idea of nuts on top repulses me.
>>>
>>> Never heard of that.
>>>
>>>> Now I can't find one without them.
>>>
>>> Make your own.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>I was thinking, remove them from the top of the pie.
>>
> I was thinking "banana split". Maybe the next nouveau chef will put
> chocolate in the banana cream pie - maybe a chocolate cookie crust,
> maybe a chocolate lined crust. After that, they'll put strawberries
> on it. What could follow that? Grilled pineapple, of course!
>
> sf
> not a banana cream pie eater, but I've heard of it
>

My mom would often make a chocolate banana cream pie...a rich chocolate
cream pie with sliced bananas in it, topped witih whipped cream and
chocolate curls. She always used a baked pastry crust. The first time she
made it I thought she was nuts, but became one of my favorite pies!

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 05(V)/03(III)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
3wks 1dys 2hrs 35mins
-------------------------------------------
Useless Invention: Flavoured suppositories.
-------------------------------------------

On Sun, 04 May 2008 04:30:52 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

>My mom would often make a chocolate banana cream pie...a rich chocolate
>cream pie with sliced bananas in it, topped witih whipped cream and
>chocolate curls. She always used a baked pastry crust. The first time she
>made it I thought she was nuts, but became one of my favorite pies!

Your mom could have been a pastry chef!


--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

On Sat 03 May 2008 09:47:40p, sf told us...

> On Sun, 04 May 2008 04:30:52 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> > wrote:
>
>>My mom would often make a chocolate banana cream pie...a rich chocolate
>>cream pie with sliced bananas in it, topped witih whipped cream and
>>chocolate curls. She always used a baked pastry crust. The first time
>>she made it I thought she was nuts, but became one of my favorite pies!
>
> Your mom could have been a pastry chef!
>
>

Yes, she really could have. She was a wonderful baker, and came up with
some wonderful ideas. She was also a true expert at Southern desserts.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Saturday, 05(V)/03(III)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
3wks 1dys 2hrs 5mins
-------------------------------------------
It's impossible to know if the
refrigerator light goes out when you
close the door because you eat the
only witnesses. --Tim Kazurinsky

In restaurants around here the answer is obvious. Pies topped with
meringue or cream all look pretty much alike before they are sliced.
Bakers decorate the pies with a sprinkling of whatever is in the pie.
Since this isn't particularly attractive with fresh bananas, lots of
places use a few walnuts. Coconut cream gets toasted coconut,
butterscotch gets a handful of butterscotch chips, chocolate silk gets
shaved chocolate etc etc. The only place this is a problem is at the
Tower View Cafe in Tower City. They have a walnut cream pie that is
wonderful.
Lynn from Fargo

On Sun 04 May 2008 12:29:18p, Lynn from Fargo told us...

> In restaurants around here the answer is obvious. Pies topped with
> meringue or cream all look pretty much alike before they are sliced.
> Bakers decorate the pies with a sprinkling of whatever is in the pie.
> Since this isn't particularly attractive with fresh bananas, lots of
> places use a few walnuts. Coconut cream gets toasted coconut,
> butterscotch gets a handful of butterscotch chips, chocolate silk gets
> shaved chocolate etc etc. The only place this is a problem is at the
> Tower View Cafe in Tower City. They have a walnut cream pie that is
> wonderful.
> Lynn from Fargo
>

At Village Inn, a restaurant here in Phoenix that has particularly good
pies, they use a few sliced almonds on top of their Banana Cream Pie,
toasted coconut on their Coconut Cream Pie, and chocolate shavings on the
Chocolate Cream Pie. Alas, they do not make a butterscotch pie, one of my
favorites. Coco's, another well known chain here well known for their pies
does similarly, but their pie pale in comparison to Village Inn, IMHO.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Sunday, 05(V)/04(IV)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
3wks 10hrs 50mins
-------------------------------------------
I used to understand this stuff. Now I
just fake it.
-------------------------------------------