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Banana Pudding
This past week my husband and I took a road trip to North Chicago to see our youngest son Jonathan graduate from bootcamp. It was a proud moment for us, and now we have 2 amazing sailors following in their dad’s footsteps…
I decided to come home and make his favorite dessert. I used to make this one for the cooler at the cafe and before I would even be able to get them into the cooler Jonathan would be right behind me pulling one out, because he knew that there wouldn’t be one left for him at the end of the day. Wow I miss those days! (sniff, sniff)
I know this is not your classic banana pudding recipe. This is one that I adapted to make it fit the way we eat. I have a problem with desserts that are too sweet and mask the flavors that you worked so hard to put into them. I want to be able to enjoy the taste of the banana and the vanilla of the custard. The hint of cinnamon in my cookie crumbs…and yes, I know cookie crumbs aren’t classic in banana pudding, but I find that texturally it works.
I hope you give this a try and hopefully it puts a smile on your face.
Enjoy!
Banana pudding
Home made and a little more grown up, banana pudding. I don't like my deserts to be sooo sweet that you cannot taste the love you put into it.Servings 12Equipment
- heavy bottom pot
- whisk
- sieve
- metal bowl
- ice bath
- stand or hand mixer is helpful
- food processor is helpful
Ingredients
vanilla custard
- 4 lg eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 qt half and half
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
cookie crumbles
- 1 box vanilla wafers keep a few aside for garnish
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
The banana part of it…
- 4 med bananas make sure they are ripe and super sweet
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Vanilla custard
- Gather your ingredients, along with a heavy bottom pot, and a whisk
- Place eggs, sugar, corn starch and salt into your pot and whisk together.
- Add your half and half and place on the stove over medium heat and whisk.
- You will keep whisking and stirring to make sure the custard heats evenly, you will begin to see a bunch of bubbles as it starts to heat through.
- It should take about 15 minutes, the custard will begin to thicken and I remove it as soon as I see the first boil bubble. Take off the heat and add your vanilla and butter and whisk.
- Pour through a sieve, to make sure there are not curdled bits of egg. Making sure not to push through. ( I tap the edges to get as much through with out worrying about getting any scrambled eggy pieces in my custard)
- Cool over an ice bath, preferably in a metal bowl stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes before covering with plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard. Place in your fridge and completely cool for at least 4 hours.
- After it cools and sets in the fridge, whip your cream. Add your whipping cream to your mixing bowl along with your powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until medium to stiff peaks. Fold into your custard.
Cookie crumbles
- Place your vanilla wafers (minus what you are using for garnish) into your food processor (or you can place into a ziplock bag and crush with your rolling pin) add your sugar, salt and cinnamon. Crush until crumbs.Add melted butter and mix until it looks like wet sand
The banana part of it
- Add your whipping cream to your mixing bowl along with your powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until medium to stiff peaks.
- slice up your bananas and start to build your banana pudding. Place a heaping tablespoon of crumbs onto the bottom of your chosen cup add a few slices of banana, add about a 1/4 cup of custard and repeat. Top with whipped cream and a vanilla wafer.
Notes
This is my go to vanilla custard. I use this recipe for the base of a bunch of other desserts. Cream puffs, napoleons, fruit tarts….
