Ingredients
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4 cups Whole Milk
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8 tablespoons FlourAll Purpose
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1 Cup Sugar
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4 Egg YolksSave the Egg Whites for tomorrows Breakfast!
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1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean PasteCan be substituted with Vanilla Extract
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1/2 teaspoon Salt
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Crust
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1 box Vanilla Wafers
Directions
I go bananas for easy banana pudding with vanilla wafers. Back in the 70’ and 80’s when I was growing up, the ‘new’ short cut foods were the thing. Jello Brand Instant Pudding was huge! It was quick, easy and good. But, was it really good? If you’re in a bind, yes. But when you make homemade banana pudding there is a huge difference. It makes instant pudding taste like what it is, instant pudding.
Vanilla pudding from scratch is super simple to make. No-one should be intimidated. It’s worth the effort. This particular recipe only takes eight ingredients and is perfect when you’re trying to get rid of the bananas you bought six days ago, before they’re over ripe. Trust me, I go through the produce section of the grocery store and buy things regularly because it looks good at the moment, then two weeks later I’m throwing it away. Stop the Madness! Go bananas by making something that will get eaten, like dessert? Banana Pudding with Vanilla wafers is perfect!
The custard for this recipe is thick, creamy and rich. The vanilla comes through beautifully. It marries well with sweet bananas.
When I served this to my family/friends, it was put in a beautiful personal le Creuset dish that can serve one person, or three (depending on that individuals ability to eat).
Steps
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1
Done
10 minutes
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PrepTake your 4 eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Set the egg whites to the side. You can take these and make yourself an egg white scramble, Sous Vide Egg White Bites, an Omelette or whatever else you love that only requires egg whites, not the whole egg. Add flour, sugar and salt to a medium large sauce pan. Using a whisk mix them together until the dry ingredients are incorporated. |
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2
Done
15 minutes
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NextAdd four cups of whole milk and egg yolks to the warm saucepan. Use your whisk to blend all ingredients. Stir slowly until all the lumps and bumps are gone. Frequently stir the milk, sugar, flour and salt until the contents of the pan thicken up. Remove the pan from the heat and add vanilla bean paste. ** Note: to tell when it’s time to take the mixture off the heat take a soup spoon and dip it into the warm mixture.. If the spoon is coated so you can’t see your reflection, take your index finger (lets face it, which finger you use doesn’t matter) and swipe it across the bottom of the spoon. While you’re licking the yummy pudding off your finger, look at the spoon. If it’s still coated but there is a clear streak from your swipe - it’s done! |
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3
Done
5
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Final StepsNow that the pudding is made and off the hot burners, lets focus on the presentation. Find the serving dish you want to use. This can be a long Pyrex, a large truffle dish or individual truffle bowls. It’s really up to how you want to present it. Line the bottom with vanilla wafers and add some sliced banana’s over the top of the wafers. How much banana you want to add is entirely up to you. Pour your warmed pudding over the banana, wafers. Note that I’m using small ‘le Creuset’ serving dish. If you’re using something like a truffle dish, make sure you layer wafers, banana’s and pudding repeatedly and that you’re addressing the appearance of the side of the dish, if your truffle dish is clear glass. You want people to eat this dessert with their eyes. ** If it’s going to be a few hours before you serve the pudding, dip your banana slices in lemon juice. This will slow down the browning process. |
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4
Done
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Last but not LeastDress up your presentation. After the pudding was in place I added more wafers along the side and then added banana’s on top so people knew it was more than a vanilla custard. Put the pudding in the fridge to cool down for a minimum of 3 hours (more if you’re using a larger/deeper serving dish). |
