Ok You cooks out there, I wonder if any of you can tell me?

Question

I made a pie with jello brand banana pudding. A friend makes it and it is wonderful. She's on vacation and I need help now. It set and the pie looked great but later when I took it out of the refrigerator it was kind of watery. I put sliced bananas in the filling. She told me to rinse the sliced bananas with lemon juice, then don't rinse but drain them. That was to keep the bananas from turning dark. They did turn a bit dark any way. I would like to make a nice firm banana pie that doesn't look watery. Can you help?

Answer 1

Did you use the cook pudding or the instant? The instant will not make a very good pie.

Answer 2

The trick with banana cream pie is to spread the slices in the shell BEFORE adding the filling (no lemon juice needed).  :)  Also, cover the filling with plastic wrap before chilling.

You may have all the ingredients on hand to make one completely from scratch (VERY easy, and tastes better than the boxed pudding variety):

Ing:

    * 3/4 cup white sugar

    * 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

    * 1/4 teaspoon salt

    * 2 cups milk

    * 3 egg yolks, beaten

    * 2 tablespoons butter

    * 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

    * 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

    * 4 bananas, sliced

Dir:

   1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Add milk in gradually while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.

   2. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.

   3. Slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture.

   4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes. Chill for an hour.

Answer 3

Use less milk for the pudding. Maybe 1/4 or 1/2 cup less, can't remember exactly how much.

As for the bananas, they will always turn dark, no matter what you do to them. The lemon juice only helps a bit, delays the reaction. They will brown faster in the fridge, though, since its so moist.

So try and keep air away from them, and toss them in the lemon juice.