In all my days, I don’t think I have ever had anything as luscious as this Banana Pudding! The custard is so over the top rich and creamy, I could just take a spoon and devour it. But, when it’s combined with the wafers, the bananas and then topped with a mile high meringue and baked to perfection, it’s enough to swoon over! Where has this been all my life? Yes, that’s right, I have never had a Banana Pudding before and probably never would have except for a friend of time. Bessie Stafford is both a former nursing colleague and a dear friend. In retirement she started cooking and baking again and posted a photo of this pudding on social media. I begged her for the recipe and she graciously shared it with me. Sparky and I both were amazed at how wonderful it tastes. Again, I think it is the custard that puts it over top. Six eggs makes a mighty rich custard! You will need a deep dish pie plate because it makes a lot of custard.
Here’s what we’ll need.
Old Fashioned Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 6 room temperature eggs whites and yolks separated
- 1-1/4 cups sugar divided
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 1 box vanilla wafers approximately 45 wafers
- 6-8 bananas- sliced thin depending on size
Instructions
- Pour milk into a saucepan and heat over medium low until scalded. Takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Milk should coat the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Place a layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of the pie plate, then top with a layer of bananas.
- Repeat layers another 2 to 3 times until you run out of room.
- In another saucepan, stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, the 6 egg yolks and a pinch of salt. Whisk together over medium heat stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Whisk in the flour and stir over medium low heat until mixture thickens. When thick, add the scalded milk.
- Continue to whisk over medium low heat until thick and bubbly. Be careful not to let it burn. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the custard over the bananas and wafers in the pie plate then set aside.
- Place the room temperature egg whites in a room temperature bowl and using an electric mixer, starting on low speed, beat the egg whites until frothy. Increase the speed of the mixer to high and stir in the pinch of cream of tartar. As the egg whites start to thicken, gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 TBSP at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the meringue across the top of the pudding using a spatula. Lift the spatula up and down to form peaks in the meringue.
- Place the pudding in a 350 degree oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes until the meringue has browned. Remove from the oven, let cool completely before eating. Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday full of good food, family and friends. I am hoping and praying that it will be sooner rather than later when we can gather together in person and enjoy a meal with our loved ones. Stay hopeful! Knowing that Spring is not too far off is a happy thought. I am enjoying the longer days and shorter periods of darkness as our journey continues. Until next time, journey on! Hugs and much love from me, Karen, TJG
I definitely will be making this! Sounds just exactly like my mother’s recipe! Thank you Karen!!!
This is my Grandmothers exact Recipe, I made this the other day and the feeling of all us cousins getting together came flashing back. Thank you for sharing “it made my day”
Made it. It’s FANTASTIC!
I wish I’d kept looking til I found the right recipe but I didn’t and wasted both time and ingredients. So many red flags but once I committed I was, we’ll, committed. It was a soupy mess and tasted just as weak and soupy. Came back to look again and when I found your recipe, knew I’d hit pay dirt. Made it right away and it’s perfect, just like my kid self remembers it. Thanks so much. You are the bomb!!!!!