My Mom was an incredible pie baker; she had a talent for baking the most delicious pies! She made everything from scratch. Even the pie crusts. It was only in later years she finally began using Pillsbury chilled, rolled, and ready to bake pie crusts. But her homemade crusts were always better. Heavenly. Absolute perfection.
While spending these days at home, I have been reminiscing about fond memories from the past. Perhaps it is because everything has been temporarily derailed; all my travel and deadlines have been put on hold and I have more time to just… remember. And for the past several days I’ve been remembering times when my Mom would putter in her small, avocado green kitchen mixing ingredients in her Pyrex bowls with the avocado green hand mixer she had for more than thirty years.
Mom loved to make all kinds of pies. She baked apple pie a lot. But she also loved to make cream pies; particularly banana cream and coconut cream pies. I remember my Dad — as if it were yesterday — sitting at the small table in our kitchen eating a piece of one of her freshly prepared pies. And he would declare, “It’s the best pie you’ve ever made!” And he’d smack his lips and make the yummy sound and she’d say to him, “You say that every time.” It’s true. He did say it every time.
Yesterday, I got out Mom’s Revere Ware double boiler and made banana cream pie from scratch. Just the way Mom did. When Kent saw I was baking a banana cream pie he asked, “Aren’t you going to need Nilla Wafers?” And I assured him my Mom never made banana cream pie with Nilla wafers. He shrugged and mumbled something about it not being as good as if it had Nilla wafers, but I was not deterred.
My goodness…the smell in my kitchen and the taste of that fresh cream filling! It brought back a flood of memories of my Mom and how she used to let me lick the spoon and the pan when she had emptied it. She always scraped out the pan so completely though, I used to wish she would leave just a smidgeon more of the good stuff on the sides of the pan.
We didn’t even wait for dessert after dinner. We each had a piece right in the middle of the afternoon. And when Kent took a bite, he closed his eyes and smiled. I asked him if he missed the Nilla wafers and he said (while putting another bite into his mouth), “What wafers?” Then he declared, “It’s the best pie you’ve ever made!” And I just grinned and quietly thanked my Mom in my heart.
Oh, the sweetness. The pie and the memories.
Mom’s recipe:
Use a pre-baked pie shell and line the bottom with banana slices. After the cream is cooled slightly, pour over the bananas. Serve room temperature or chilled. Enjoy!
and the coconut cream recipe?
Mix in 3/4 cup shredded coconut and pour into baked pie shell. Then sprinkle coconut on top.
Did your mom ever whip up the egg whites and make a mereinge to put on top of the pie?
A Janome sewer in central Alberta, Canada
I don’t remember her doing this, but she may have when she took her pies to church socials. For home consumption? I think Dad preferred it without the whipped cream.
Thank you for sharing. Cooking or Baking from scratch is the best.
Thank you for sharing Kimberly!
Thank you for sharing!
my mother also made pie crust from scratch and would use it but not all at the same time as she made a big batch. and the left over crust would make or fill it with different jelly or cinnamon.
thanks for the memory
YUM! My Mom would use the leftover bits of pie dough to make a cinnamon roll with just butter, sugar and cinnamon. GREAT memories!
Can you share her Pie Crust recipe?
Certainly! I will try to get it posted tonight.
🙂 My mom had the Pyrex bowls, the hand mixer, and the copper-bottom double boiler. How sweet to see them in pictures.
I love pies. They are my favorite dessert. I would love your mom’s pie crust recipe. My mom could bake, but she could never make a good pie crust. It was the only new thing I learned in my required year of home economics. In high school.
Pie crust recipe coming soon!
I would love to know how to make the crust with the boiling water. Thank you for the cream filling recipe, and your sewing knowledge.
Oh Janet, thank you for your kind words!
I have that same double boiler! It’s coming up on 46 years old. Am definitely going to try your recipe and would love to know more about the boiled crust. I pulled out old recipes too back in April. It’s so comforting to see your Mom’s handwriting. Brings back a flood of good memories.
How fun, Marti! I know there are certainly fancier double boilers these days, but that was my Mom’s and I love using it.
I just made your mother’s banana creme pie this afternoon, and it was delicious. My family thanks you for sharing. Glad you now shared her pie crust too, thanks.