recipe: southern banana pudding
What I remember most about holiday dinners was the desserts! My grandma always had something sweet to serve at the end of the meals. She had an entire table dedicated to desserts. Easter is coming and I was trying to think of my menu. My grandma’s typical Easter dinner included a glazed ham, potato salad, collard greens, cornbread, and banana pudding.
My grandma made her banana pudding from scratch! Nothing against those that use a pudding mix but scratch tastes best to me. Growing up, I was her little helper. She didn’t use a recipe per se. So, I recreated this recipe over the years by taste. I remember the rich, caramel taste hers had. It wasn’t too sweet but just sweet enough. I don’t top my banana pudding with meringue like she did. I use whipped cream. To not wast the left over egg whites consider making egg white omelets for your brunch or an angel food cake!
Every time I make banana pudding, it always brings back wonderful memories growing up. I hope you try it and love it as much as I do.
SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING
1/3 cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
3 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks
3 Tablespoon butter at room temperature
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
3 bananas sliced
1 box of vanilla wafers
WHIP CREAM
1 pint of heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar (taste before adding all of it)
Best to prepare 1 day before.
Combine cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir milks together and gradually stir milks into cornstarch mixture. Heat on med to low heat until warmed through. Then mix sugar and yolks in a separate bowl with hand held mixer until pale yellow. Once milk is warm stir a little at a time into the egg mixture. Then pour egg/milk mixture back into saucepan cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 8 minutes or until thickened. Maybe need to whisk. Remove from heat stir in butter and vanilla. Stir in 1 cup of whipped cream to smooth out pudding.
Arrange banana slices in bottom of a 2 quart baking dish. Spoon 1/3 of the pudding mixture over bananas top with vanilla wafers. Repeat layers twice ending with pudding. Arrange wafers around the inside edge of dish. Gently press wafers into pudding.
You can top with whip cream. Put in refrigerator over night.