Instant Pudding and Nostalgia Cuisine

Lately I've been feeling very nostalgic about food. I wrote about making Orange Stuff for Thanksgiving, and that was very much in keeping with my nostalgic cooking obsession of late. I think the nostalgia is partly because it's the holiday season, and partly, the fact that I've been looking at older cookbooks quite a lot. Many cookbooks from the fifties and sixties feature recipes using brand name products like Jello, Carnation Milk, and nationally distributed cookies, crackers and soups. I grew up with a lot of those recipes, especially for things like pumpkin pie and fudge and other desserts.

The local "bargain grocery" store a couple of weeks ago happened to have Nilla Wafers on sale, and bananas, and yes, instant banana pudding. You know where, I'm going, right? Yep; Nilla Wafers Banana Pudding. Now, the original recipe calls for making your own pudding, and yes, it's marginally better, but it's a lot more work. I note that the instant pudding instructions call for two cups of milk; if you're feeling very indulgent, I suggest using 1 and a half cups of heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of milk instead. Your heart won't thank you, but your hedonistic soul will. Also, I favor putting the Nilla wafer cookies on the sides and the top of the dish, since they get very soggy on the bottom.

But the Nilla Wafer Banana Pudding (better the second day, by the way, and perfect for breakfast with French Roast coffee) made me think of that Pistachio salad made with instant Jello pistachio pudding, crushed pineapple, Cool Whip, miniature marshmallows, and pistachios. Personally, I favor it with rather more pistachios (closer to a cup) and no marshmallows at all, and think of it more as a dessert than a salad, but here's the original recipe.

Pistachio Pudding Salad

Ingredients

• 1 box Jello Instant pistachio pudding
• 1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1 8 ounce carton of Cool Whip
• 1/2 cup pistachios

Procedure

1. Stir the dry pistachio pudding powder into the pineapple, coating it throughly.
2. Add the marshmallows, the Cool Whip and nuts.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Chill at least two hours before serving; overnight is best.

Back when I was very inclined to ignore issues like cholesterol and calories, I would make a version of the Nilla wafers pudding using instant chocolate pudding. I made the pudding with 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of milk, and used those chocolate wafers intended for baking, and fresh raspberries or strawberries. It's easy, it's reliably good, and it works quite well for a "company" dessert. For an elegant presentation, you can use the other 1/2 cup of the heavy cream to make whipped cream. If you're sharing it with company, you can decorate individual serving bowls of the pudding with an additional wafer, whipped cream, and a few extra berries, and it looks quite elegant.