Banana Pudding

1 cup sugar

6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups whole milk
6 large eggs, separated
2 tsps. vanilla

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 to 10 ripe bananas
1 box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

4 oz. Cream cheese ((Optional)

1 Can sweetened condensed milk (optional)

Combine flour, egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a heat proof bowl. Combine milk, salt and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Temper yolk mixture by slowly adding milk, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until all milk has been added. Heat over medium heat in heavy bottom pan, stirring constantly with wire whisk, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and butter and if using, cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.  Stir until additions are completely melted.  If necessary, strain through mesh strainer to remove any lumps. Cool to room temperature, and if preparing ahead, refrigerate. When ready to assemble the pudding, make whipped cream.

4 cups heavy cream

4 Tbsp. powdered sugar

In mixer with wireless, beat cream until soft peaks form, add sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form. Fold one cup of the whipped cream into the pudding.

Using a 9 x13 rectangular Pyrex baking dish, a large glass bowl, or a trifle bowl, alternate layers of sliced bananas, Nilla Wafers, whipped cream  and pudding until you reach close to 1/2 inch from the top of the baking dish.  Add whipped cream on top until top of pudding mixture is covered. Decorate top with crushed vanilla wafers and maraschino cherries, if desired. It’s best if it sits for at least an hour to allow the wafers to become soft and incorporated into the pudding.  Serve at room temperature or cool.

This is the real Southern way to make banana pudding, except it was often served with meringue on top using the separated, egg whites. I like it better without the meringue, and with whipped cream or Cool Whip on top. The homemade custard is really good though. Esther often made a huge banana pudding for the family Christmas dinner. It tends to be everyone's first dessert.

Use the leftover egg whites to make Pavlova, and Chocolate Angel Pie, or Meringues.