Southern Banana Pudding Recipes

OLD-FASHIONED BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together sugar mixture, milk, and 4 egg yolks in a medium-size heavy saucepan until well blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.
• Layer half of vanilla wafers in an 8-inch square baking dish. Top with half of banana slices and half of pudding. Repeat procedure with remaining wafers, banana slices, and pudding.
• Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add 3 Tbsp. sugar, beating until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spread meringue over pudding, sealing to edge of dish.
• Bake at 375°F for 7 to 9 minutes or until golden. Let cool 30 minutes, and serve warm; or chill an additional hour, and serve cold.

SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and flour. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. , Remove from heat. Stir a small amount of hot milk filling into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat; gently stir in butter and vanilla. , In an ungreased 8-in. square baking dish, layer a third of the vanilla wafers, bananas and filling. Repeat layers twice., For meringue, beat egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edges to sides of dish. Bake until meringue is golden, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Separate the yolks from the whites of 3 of the eggs; set aside the whites. Add the remaining whole egg to the yolks.
• In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the whole egg and 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread a thin layer of the pudding in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers on top of the pudding. Thinly slice the bananas crosswise, about 1/8 inch thick, and arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers. Spread one-third of the remaining pudding over the bananas and continue layering wafers, bananas and pudding, ending with pudding.
• To make the meringue, beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites will not slide out of the mixing bowl when it is tilted.
• Spread the meringue over the pudding with a spatula, making a few decorative peaks on top, and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, 5 minutes.

AUTHENTIC SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Place a layer of wafer cookies on the bottom of a large glass bowl. Top with a layer of banana slices. Alternate layers, reserving 10 wafer cookies to crumble for topping.
• Mix sugar, flour, and salt together in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in cream, about 1/4 cup at a time. Add milk and butter. Place pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until custard begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
• Place egg yolks in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of warm custard mixture into the egg yolks. Add the egg/custard mixture back to the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract. Remove from heat; allow to cool about 20 minutes.
• Pour mixture slowly over the layers of wafers and bananas. Gently shake bowl so custard seeps to the bottom of the bowl. Crumble the remaining wafer cookies and sprinkle over the top.

EASY SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Beat pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min. Let stand 5 min.
• Arrange half the wafers on bottom and up side of 2-qt. serving bowl; top with layers of half each of the banana slices and pudding. Repeat all layers. Cover with COOL WHIP.
• Refrigerate 3 hours.

SOUTHERN-STYLE BAKED BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Separate eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks into a saucepan.
• Add sugar, salt, and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour to the yolks. Splash in about 1/4 of the milk and start blending mixture with a whisk. Pour in remaining milk and whisk until smooth.
• Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until hot to the touch, occasionally dipping your finger in to test. Whisk constantly until custard is thick enough to form ribbons.
• Remove custard from heat and add vanilla extract, banana liqueur, and cold butter. Whisk until butter dissolves. Set custard aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Toss banana slices with lemon juice.
• Spread a quarter of the custard over the bottom of a baking dish. Add a single layer of vanilla wafers. Cover with 1/2 of the bananas and spread 1/2 of the remaining custard on top. Add another layer of vanilla wafers, using slightly fewer this time. Top with the remaining bananas and custard. Smooth the top and tap dish against the counter to settle the pudding.
• Add cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat using the whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Spread meringue over the pudding using a soft spatula, creating ridges for contrast.
• Bake in the preheated oven until meringue is nicely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Cool 15 minutes, stirring occasionally., In an ungreased 8-in. square baking dish, layer 25 vanilla wafers, half of the banana slices and half of the pudding. Repeat layers., Press plastic wrap onto surface of pudding. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Just before serving, remove wrap; crush remaining wafers and sprinkle over top.

ORIGINAL SOUTHERN RECIPE FOR BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Mix 1/2 cup sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, over boiling water 10 to 12 min. or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
• Reserve 12 wafers for garnish. Spread small amount of custard onto bottom of 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Cover with layers of 1/3 each of the remaining wafers, bananas and remaining custard. Repeat layers 2 times.
• Beat egg whites on high speed of mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over custard, sealing well to edge of dish.
• Bake 15 to 20 min. or until lightly browned. Cool slightly. Top with reserved wafers just before serving.

REAL "DOWN HOME" SOUTHERN BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• BANANA-WAFER PREPARATION:.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the bananas crosswise into 1/4" thick round slices.
• In a large, oven safe bowl, or in an 8x8x2-inch pan or glass baking dish, line the bottom and sides with a layer of vanilla wafers.
• On top of the layer of wafers, place one layer of bananas. Repeat, alternating a layer of wafers and a layer of banana slices until the bowl or dish is filled to within 1/4 to 1/2-inch below the rim.
• THE FILLING:.
• Separate the eggs, being careful not to nick the yolks. Reserve the egg whites and set aside.
• Combine evaporated milk and water.
• In a large sauce pan, mix flour, sugar, and egg yolks until well blended.
• Mix in milk slowly, stirring constantly.
• Place pan on the range eye and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
• As soon as mixture reaches boiling point, reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly until desired thickness is achieved. Filling should be thick but pourable.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla extract.
• Immediately pour over wafer-banana layers, jiggling the dish to ensure that filling covers all layers and there are no air pockets.
• THE MERINGUE:.
• TIP - If you do not have cream of tartar, you can use 1/2 tsp of lemon juice as a satisfactory substitute. 1/4 tsp lemon juice = 1/8 tsp cream of tartar.
• TIP - Cold egg whites will not yield as much volume as room temperature egg whites and will take longer to peak.
• Beat room-temperature egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
• Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved.
• Spoon meringue over banana pudding, smoothing the top and sealing it to the edge of the bowl or baking dish.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until meringue is golden.
• Cool to room temperature or chill in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours before serving.
• Banana pudding's flavor is best the day after it is made.
• 9 Servings.