Two years ago we published a recipe for a truly delicious banana pudding that we had at Virgil’s Real Barbecue in New york City (there’s an outpost in Atlantic City).

It’s a complex recipe, layering from-scratch banana pudding, pastry cream and banana caramel—with Nilla Wafers, of course.

Here‘s the banana pudding recipe, a delicious choice for Father’s Day (we’re making a double batch of it next week).

If you don’t have the time or energy to create the entire recipe, there are shortcuts. The end result is not as glorious as the from-scratch Virgil’s recipe; but if you haven’t had the original, you won’t know that.

Unfortunately, the “quick and easy” banana pudding recipes all use Cool Whip (made with HFCS and other ingredients we don’t like*). So we’re providing the easy option, but are lobbying for the from-scratch recipe.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. ADD milk to large bowl; whisk in pudding mix for 2 minutes or until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes.

2. LAYER half of the wafers on the bottom and up the sides of a 2-quart serving bowl Add a layer of pudding topped with a layer of banana slices. Repeat layering, beginning with wafers.

3. REFRIGERATE 3 hours or overnight to soften cookies. To serve…

4. SPREAD whipped topping over pudding. Garnish with additional banana slices.
  
*WHAT IS COOL WHIP? Cool Whip Original imitation whipped cream is made from water, hydrogenated vegetable oil (including coconut and palm oils), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream, and less than 2% sodium caseinate, natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, and beta carotene (as a coloring). Hmmm.

Yellow or orange watermelon, which you can find at farmers’ markets and specialty produce stores, makes it even more special.

We adapted this recipe from Arch Rock Fish restaurant in Santa Barbara. You can serve it in a Martini glass or any glass you like.
 
 
RECIPE: WATERMELON CUCUMBER SUMMER SPLASH

Ingredients For 4 Cocktails

Watermelon and vodka with a touch of honey (photo © Arch Rock Fish | Santa Barbara [alas, permanently closed]).

Preparation

1. MUDDLE mint in the bottom of a large bowl or pitcher.

2. PURÉE watermelon in a food processor or blender and sieve into the bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula.

3. PURÉE the cucumber and sieve it into the bowl.

4. WHISK the lime juice and honey together in a small bowl. Add to the juice mixture, stir, and add the vodka. Pour into glasses with ice cubes.

5. GARNISH with a cucumber wheel and mint sprig.
 
 
SOME MARTINI HISTORY

The original Martini, created in America, was a mixture of gin and vermouth, garnished with an olive.

While not yet called the Martini, the 1888 Bartender’s Manual cites a recipe of half gin and half vermouth.

Thanks to James Bond, the Vodka Martini, “Shaken, not stirred,” entered popular culture in the book “Diamonds Are Forever” (1956). Earlier, in “Casino Royale,” the first Bond novel (1953), Bond orders a cocktail later named the Vesper: gin, vodka, and Lillet, a fortified white wine, rather than vermouth.

The Gibson is a Gin Martini garnished with a pickled cocktail onion. The oldest published recipe for the Gibson dates to 1908.

In the 1990s, the concept of what a “Martini” was, took off like a rocket, with menus of hundreds of different Martini “flavors,” savory and sweet. Marketers like to ride on the coattails of something that’s already popular. But these are really…

Non-Martinis

While adding espresso (not espresso liqueur) to a Vodka Martini could logically be called an Espresso Martini, turning it into a sweet drink, such as an Espresso Martini with espresso liqueur, a Chocolate Martini with chocolate liqueur, or an Appletini with apple liqueur, abandons the spirit of the savory Martini cocktail.

There is no liqueur in a Martini: Call those sweet drinks something else!
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

When we saw this photo of a dish from Daniel restaurant in New York City, we thought: square food, square plates.

You’ll be the opposite of a square when you present guests or family with fun squared food. While our list below is dinner fare, you can easily square off breakfast and lunch.

Cutting certain foods into squares can produce a lot of trimmings, but it’s easy to use them in omelets, salads, hors d’oeuvre and snacks.

A dinner plate from Daniel. Photo courtesy Thomas Schauer Photography.

 
These square glass dinner plates from Libbey are inexpensive; or you can spring for these square white porcelain plates.

A composite of some “Homage To The
Square” paintings. Photo courtesy
Mysticmedusa.com.

Mains

 
Desserts

 
What would you add to this list?

For a special Father‘s Day gift, any chocolate lover will love you for sending him Poco Dolce—a two-time NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

the chocolate-covered salted caramels, chocolate tiles, toffee, flavored chocolate bars, peanut brittle and special whiskey-infused truffles are sublime.

The flavors include “original” (we’d never call them “plain”) plus Almond, Almond Coconut, Aztec, Burnt Caramel, Ginger, Mint Toffee, Nuts, Sesame Toffee and others, depending on the particular item.

The chocolates start at $10.00 for six salted caramels (great party favor!). Most are $18.00-$24, with gift baskets from $65.00 to $180.00.
Read the full review; then head to Poco Dolce to place your order.

FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE
GOURMET CHOCOLATE GIFTS.

Luscious chocolate truffles infused with Irish whiskey. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

It’s National Iced Tea Month, so we‘re repeating one of our favorite tips for iced tea lovers:

Make your ice cubes from the same tea.

This way, you can keep your iced tea ice-cold without diluting it. It’s a more elegant solution than brewing the tea extra-strong, anticipating that it will be diluted by regular ice cubes.

You can also use the tea ice cubes in lemonade, creating an “Arnold Palmer” effect; or use them to add a different flavor nuance to any cold drink, including cocktails.

And it’s a great use for leftover tea.

HOW TO MAKE ICED TEA ICE CUBES

While it sounds like a no-brainer, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

1. BOIL the water and pour over tea in a heat-resistant pitcher. Allow to infuse for the variety’s recommended steeping time.

2. REMOVE tea bags or loose tea; allow tea to cool to room temperature. Pour tea into ice cube trays and place in freezer.

3. KEEP ice cubes in the tray or remove to a freezer bag or other container so you can freeze more ice cubes. Make black, green and herbal tea ice cubes, depending on what you typically drink.
 
YOU CAN ALSO MAKE ICE CUBES FROM COFFEE, LEMONADE, JUICE & WINE.