Warning! This post quotes my 82 year old mother quite a bit and she has NO FILTER. Be prepared to object to some of her language!
So, my mom has insisted that if I am going to share "her" recipe for Banana Pudding with you that I should also educate you on the history and importance of Banana Pudding in Southern culture. If you have been around our family, you know that we MUST do as mom says because what she says is gospel (meaning that she still scares the bejeezes out of us with a look). So, here is a brief take on the history of Banana Pudding according to my mom, Grandma Gayle.
Banana’s started showing up in the US post Civil War. At first a commodity, they eventually grew into a staple that was affordable to what my mom calls “the fashionable” and “real folk” alike. The first Banana Pudding recipe to be circulated was in the 1880s and was, GASP, created by a Yankee, topped with whipped cream instead of meringue and published in Massachusetts based Good Housekeeping. The horror. These early versions included sponge cake and lady fingers in the spirit of a traditional English Trifle or Charlotte recipe.
In the early 1900’s, a little known company named Nabisco started mass producing a new cookie, the Nilla wafer. A Banana Pudding recipe was created using the cookie and widely disseminated and thus the modern version was born.
With WWI implementation of sugar rationing, desserts like Banana Pudding faded in popularity until the late 1940’s. With the mass production of packaged foods like Jell-O (Mom calls this the industrialization and bastardization of custard), Banana Pudding made its way back into homes across the US, particularly in the South.
Mom says that “the British started it, the Yankees built on it, but we Southerners perfected it". In her mind, we may have lost the war but the battle of the Banana Pudding fell solidly in a win column for the South. The truth is, in the South food is a huge part of our identity. And Banana Pudding, in particular, is a signifier of love and care to be shared with family, friends, and neighbors. All hail Banana Pudding, the great unifier! Enjoyed by the “fashionable” and the “real folk” alike! Enjoyed by Yankees and Southerners too! Comforting to us in the best and worst of times.
As it always does in the South, it comes down to the Mason Dixon Line again. Whatever you do… just don’t put whipped cream on mom's Banana Pudding like “those damned Yankees”. She’ll find you….if not in this life, then in the next!
From this Banana Pudding loving heart to another… use it well.
Ingredients
1 cup + 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp Cream of Tartar (optional)
7 eggs, separated
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Box of NILLA Wafers
5 bananas, ripe (just before it starts to brown), sliced
Directions for Custard (DO NOT USE BOX PUDDING PLEASE!) - Fill bottom pan of Double Boiler with water until it reaches the fill line (or touches about the bottom 1” of the top pan). Separate your eggs putting the egg yolks in the smaller bowl and the egg whites in the larger bowl. Begin to heat the water in your double boiler pan to boiling. Add Sugar, Flour and Salt to the top pan of your double boiler and blend this dry mixture with your whisk. In your smaller bowl, gently mix your egg yolks until they are blended and then blend in your milk. Slowly, while constantly whisking, add your liquid mixture to your dry mixture. This is the hard part. You must keep slowly whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. This can take 10-20 minutes depending upon humidity (I once tried to make this in the Bahamas...tasty but not exactly perfect). Note: If your pan begins to spit hot water at you, turn the heat down A LITTLE. If you turn it down too much, your custard will not cook. Once the custard begins to stick thickly to your whisk, it is time to remove it from the heat and add your vanilla extract. Blend thoroughly and set aside.
Directions for Meringue - Break out your hand mixer and start mixing your egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until foamy. Begin adding 1/2 cup of the sugar slowly. Continue to mix on high speed until stiff peaks are formed. Set aside.
Composition and Completion - Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Add a little custard to the bottom of your large oven safe bowl and then begin layering: wafers, banana slices, custard, wafers, banana slices, custard ... you get the idea ... until you run out of custard (this should be the last layer). Cover the whole shebang with your meringue. Make sure that meringue goes from edge to edge sealing everything in and make cute little peaks with the back of a spoon to make it look really special. Pop that thing in the oven (top of the dish should be in the top third of the oven) and watch carefully. When the meringue peaks begin to brown, your banana pudding ready. I let mine sit about 20 minutes prior to serving.
NOTE: Remember that we are using eggs in this dish. This means that you must refrigerate your left overs. This dish is not as delish day two but this may not be a problem. If your family is like mine, none will be left to refrigerate.
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Image Credit: Stephanie Frey / Adobe Stock