In 1933, Travis County in Texas, home of the Austin state capital, voted to become “wet” again.  Which meant that alcohol could be legally sold after the years of federal prohibition.  That same year “country music lover and bootlegger Kenneth Threadgill…opened his Gulf filling station just north of the Austin city limits,” at 6416 N. Lamar according to the History of Threadgill’s on www.threadgills.com. 

Mr. Threadgill was the first owner of a Travis County liquor license in December 1933 after standing in line all night to get it, much like many people now do for special movie, concert, or sport event tickets. 

“Soon, the filling station became a favorite spot for traveling musicians since it was open 24 hours for drinking, gambling and jamming. Kenneth would sing songs by his beloved Jimmie Rodgers nightly. Musicians who came to play were paid in beer.  Such was the atmosphere at Threadgill’s, it was only when a curfew was enacted in 1942 that its owner had to get a key for the front door, before that it had yet to have been locked.”

If you’re interested in learning more about how Threadgill’s played a major role in the music evolution in Austin through the decades since 1933, check out this website.  It’s full of all kinds of information, including Threadgill’s is the venue where Janis Joplin got her start singing while attending The University of Texas at Austin.

I have memories about when I played on the softball team for the Railroad Commission of Texas.  If the game was in the north part of Austin, we ate at Threadgill’s afterwards.  If the game was in the south part of Austin, we ate at the Broken Spoke after the game.  Both teams gathered and broke bread along with pitchers of beer, and it really didn’t matter which team had won or lost.  We just all had a good time and I met some really great people. 

 

Since that time, a cookbook has been published from Threadgill’s Restaurant with many of the restaurant’s favorite recipes included.  It is written by Eddie Wilson, current owner, who also founded Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin.  The forward to the cookbook is written by my beloved Jimmie Dale Gilmore.  If you don’t know him, he is one of the three members of The Flatlanders, along with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, all originally from Lubbock.  And if you haven’t heard this group perform, you’ve definitely missed many wondrous moments of musical inspiration.

 

Family member, Josie Lopez, our daughter-in-law’s mother, graciously agreed to test the original banana pudding recipe for me as other issues had filled my plate.  Josie e-mailed me that she had “never made pudding on the stove before without a box -- I was excited about making it.”  The custard “coated my wooden spoon like I thought it was supposed to, like the recipe said and looked great.  I must not have let it get thick enough because it stayed that texture even after I refrigerated it over night.” 

 

“It tastes really, really delicious,” according to both Josie and Teri, my daughter-in-law.  “I thought it made a good size batch,” Josie wrote, “about a big bowl full -- my bowls were 4 cups each with a small 2 cup one.”

 

Josie and I both wondered if her electric stove made a difference as I know it does on my gas stove when I make Mother’s wonderful chocolate pie recipe.  So, I tested the banana pudding on my gas stove and decreased the amount of milk to 3 cups from the original 5.  It was really delicious, but took just as long as Josie’s did to thicken. 

 

In my second test I substituted all-purpose flour for the cornstarch.  It still took just as long for the custard to thicken.  I’ve decided that the reason is using the double boiler to make the custard.  However, I’m afraid the custard would burn if not made in a double boiler. 

 

If you decide to try this tasty dessert, I recommend you pull up a stool to your stove because you’ll be stirring for a while.  But if you have the time, don’t let the time stirring dissuade you from making this luscious and delicious banana pudding.  Your family, as well as you, will love it.

Banana Pudding

Recipe adapted from Threadgill’s The Cookbook by Eddie Wilson, Proprietor

Original Recipe Tested and Photographed by Josie Lopez, Forney, Texas

10 Servings

 

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

3 TB flour

Pinch salt

3 cups whole milk

3 extra large egg yolks, beaten

5 TB unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla wafers

4 to 6 bananas in thin slices

 

Other Items Needed

Measuring cups and spoons

Double boiler

Wooden spoon

Whisk

Deep 2 quart bowl or casserole dish

Paring knife

Plastic wrap

 

Instructions

In top of double boiler, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Add milk and whisk until smooth.  Cook over medium heat until milk is hot. 

 

Temper the egg yolks by adding some of the hot milk to them, whisking as you pour.  Pour this mixture into the double boiler, whisking as you pour.  Stir frequently until custard begins to thicken and will coat the back of a wooden spoon.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla extract, stirring until the butter is melted. 

 

Cover the bottom of the bowl or casserole dish with a thick layer of vanilla wafers.  Cover the cookies with a layer of thinly sliced bananas.  Pour the custard over the cookies and bananas, covering them completely.   

 

Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly on the custard to avoid the formation of a skin on top of the custard.  Chill thoroughly before serving. 

 

 

Kathryn’s Texas Kitchen is gearing up for the great State Fair of Texas 2010.  The theme this year is SUPER SIZED FUN in honor of the first North Texas Super Bowl.  Saddle up, y’all, and join us on the State Fair grounds!

 

Until next time…

 

 

Bon appétit!

 

frankandkath@hotmail.com