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Virginia Willis’ Bananas Foster Banana Pudding
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Southern Recipe Restoration Project
Instead of the traditional vanilla pudding most often used in banana pudding, chef Virginia Willis utilized a recipe for a much richer custard, vanilla-flavored pastry cream known in French cooking as crème patissière. An additional chef-inspiration was cooking the bananas as in Bananas Foster. She commented, “The bananas in banana pudding always turn brown in a short time; I thought if I actually cooked the bananas, it would prevent the browning and make the dish slightly more complex and flavorful.”
Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 50 minutes Serves: 10
Ingredients:
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2 cups whole milk
6 eggs, separated
3/4 cup and 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
45 Nilla wafers (about)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
8 bananas, sliced
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk to a simmer. In a separate saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with Ç cup sugar until thick and light. Stir in the flour to make a smooth paste.
Whisk the scalded milk into the egg mixture, blend well then return the pan to the heat. (Make sure the cream is perfectly smooth before letting it boil!) Whisk over gentle heat until boiling. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Add salt and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl; set aside.
Place a layer of Nilla wafers on the bottom of a large baking dish. Spread half the reserved pastry cream on top of the wafers. Insert wafers into the pastry cream all along the sides of the dish; set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter until foaming. Add the brown sugar and cook until melted. Add the bananas and stir to coat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, spooning the butter mixture over the bananas.
Spoon the bananas evenly over the pastry cream in the baking dish. Top with a second layer of wafers. Spoon the remaining pastry cream over the wafers; set aside.
In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, a little at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the pastry cream and spread evenly to cover the entire surface, sealing well at the edges. Using a spatula, make curls and peaks in the meringue. Bake in the oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve immediately, warm or cold.
Whisk the scalded milk into the egg mixture, blend well then return the pan to the heat. (Make sure the cream is perfectly smooth before letting it boil!) Whisk over gentle heat until boiling. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Add salt and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl; set aside.
Place a layer of Nilla wafers on the bottom of a large baking dish. Spread half the reserved pastry cream on top of the wafers. Insert wafers into the pastry cream all along the sides of the dish; set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter until foaming. Add the brown sugar and cook until melted. Add the bananas and stir to coat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, spooning the butter mixture over the bananas.
Spoon the bananas evenly over the pastry cream in the baking dish. Top with a second layer of wafers. Spoon the remaining pastry cream over the wafers; set aside.
In a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, a little at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the pastry cream and spread evenly to cover the entire surface, sealing well at the edges. Using a spatula, make curls and peaks in the meringue. Bake in the oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve immediately, warm or cold.
Nutrition:
Per serving: 453 calories (percent of calories from fat, 29), 8 grams protein, 75 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 15 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 146 milligrams cholesterol, 211 milligrams sodium.
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