Momma Daisy’s Banana Pudding
Pat: There was a time after college when my brother Gaelin lived with Momma Daisy, and I think he moved in just so he could enjoy this dessert on a regular basis. I can’t blame him: Momma Daisy’s Banana Pudding is a Neely family favorite. In her recipe, homemade vanilla pudding is layered with sliced bananas and vanilla-wafer cookies (the store-bought kind) and finished with whipped cream, to create a creamy, comforting Southern classic. Once you prepare the pudding, it can be layered with the other ingredients and chilled for up to 4 hours in advance. Then all you need to do is garnish it with the whipped cream and crumbled wafers just before serving. We like to use fresh whipped cream, but Momma Daisy used a store bought “French vanilla” whipped topping (you can also use Cool Whip).
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the evaporated milk, sugar, flour, and salt in a 3-quart saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
Step 2
Lightly beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add a ladleful of the milk mixture to the eggs, and whisk together to temper the eggs. Place the tempered egg mixture in the saucepan, and continue to whisk and cook until incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 3
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the butter and the vanilla. Transfer the pudding to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap (laying the wrap directly on the surface of the pudding so a skin doesn’t form); cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Step 4
Place 1 1/2 cups of vanilla wafers in a Ziploc bag, seal, and use a rolling pin to crumble them into coarse pieces. Place layers of sliced bananas in the bottom of a large glass trifle dish. Top with a layer of vanilla wafers and half of the vanilla pudding; repeat with another layer of bananas, wafers, and the remaining pudding, then top with whipped cream and garnish with the crumbled wafers.
