Southern Banana Pudding

Banana pudding from the south is a layer dessert, you will have vanilla wafers (basically vanilla cookies), custard, bananas, and meringue on top. Usually this dessert is served in a casserole. However, since it is only the two of us and because I had never made this dessert before, I decided to serve this pudding in dessert glasses. I also reduced the amount and ended up liking a recipe for only four dessert glasses. If you like a creamy dessert with bananas, this is a recipe you should try. Of course we are going to make the custard ourselves, it is really not as hard as you may think.

Brownies and chocolate chip cookies are probably known worldwide. Here in Germany people know about these two items due to Starbucks and Subway. However, many are not aware that there are a lot of regional specialities in the U.S. For example key lime pie from Florida or deep dish pizza from Chicago. Also, hummingbird cake is barely known, even though it is similar to carrot cake, which Germans are familiar with. Today we are making another dessert from the south, banana pudding, a dessert consisting of bananas, vanilla wafers (a vanilla cookie), custard and meringue. We are going to make the custard ourselves. As you normally only need egg yolks, traditionally the pudding is topped off with meringue, which is made from the leftover egg whites. Traditionally as this is served in a casserole, the meringue is browned briefly in the oven. If you are not comfortable using raw egg whites, you can also skip this or replace it with whipping cream.

Print Recipe

Southern Banana Pudding from the U.S.

Serves: 4 single servings

Prep Time: 20min Total Time: 20min

This Southern banana pudding from the U.S. is served in individual glasses instead and comes together quickly.

Ingredients

• 2 fresh eggs
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 25 grams of regular sugar
• 250 grams of milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or one vanilla bean
• 100 grams of vanilla cookies (here in Germany I used shortbread)
• 2-3 bananas

Instructions

1

First separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two separate bowls. Add cornstarch, sugar and a bit of the milk to the egg yolks and whisk. Warm the remaining milk with the vanilla extract in a pot. If using vanilla bean, slice open and add paste and vanilla bean to the milk. Once it is warm, pour a bit of it into the egg yolks while whisking, then pour the egg yolk mixture into the milk mixture. Remove the vanilla bean if using. Turn heat to low and while stirring, simmer for about 4-5 minutes, it should eventually become thicker in consistency and becomea custard. Set aside.

2

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt, you can, if you prefer, add about 25 grams of sugar to make a sweeter meringue. Beat until stiff, then set aside.

3

Now we are going to assemble the dessert. First break the cookies into smaller pieces, this is going to be the first layer. Then put a layer of custard and a layer of sliced bananas. Repeat this procedure one more time, decorate with egg whites. You can brown the egg whites with a kitchen torch if desired. You may want to decorate with additional banana slices. You can enjoy immediately or the next day, flavors will have increased.