Worth a Try: Banana Pudding

Pecan Lodge, Dallas, Texas

10 to Try Banana Pudding

The owners of Pecan Lodge decided to leave their corporate jobs and start a small catering business, which has now grown into a thriving barbecue joint with good old-fashioned Southern food. Diane Fourton, who owns Pecan Lodge with her husband, Justin, says her grandmother was a wonderful Southern cook whose kitchen was a sanctuary for her as a child. The memories of food and family she made with her grandmother, whom the family called Aunt Polly, have informed and inspired all that she does at the restaurant. Her legacy lives on with the popular menu item Aunt Polly’s Banana Pudding, and Diane is proud to share the delicious recipe and Southern tradition with Pecan Lodge’s guests. 

Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que, Locations throughout Arizona, California, and Nevada

Lucille’s might be far from the South, but it proudly provides the western United States with incredible Southern flavor and hospitality. Some of the award-winning restaurant’s most popular dishes include smoked BBQ Tri Tip, baby back ribs, and fried chicken, and the favorite dessert among patrons is the Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding. The thick and creamy pudding is layered with fresh banana slices and vanilla wafers, topped with fresh whipped cream, and served in style in a Mason jar.

Mary Mac’s Tea Room, Atlanta, Georgia 

10 to Try Banana Pudding

For banana pudding that’s served with some old-fashioned Southern hospitality, take a trip to Mary Mac’s Tea Room, open since 1945 and proud to claim the title “Atlanta’s Dining Room.” Owner John Ferrell says their banana pudding tastes “just like the one you grew up with,” and it’s this nostalgia that makes the dessert so popular with customers. In addition to their desserts, Mary Mac’s boasts a menu of classic Southern dishes from fried okra to chicken pot pie and a friendly staff that makes you feel right at home. 

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Bakery, Sweet P’s Barbecue & Soul House, Comfort., Katie Sikora, Link Restaurant Group, Gabrielle Geiselman, and Webb Bland.

This content was originally published in the January/February 2017 issue of Cooking with Paula Deen magazine. © 2017 Hoffman Media

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