YOUNG WOMEN CAN'T COOK!! CREAMY BANANA PUDDING

I absolutely love making banana pudding!  What a refreshing summer time comfort treat!  What better way to make and enjoy a banana pudding, but  completely from scratch.  That's right, I said completely from scratch.  No use of the powder instant vanilla pudding here.  Please don't let this discourage you.  The vanilla pudding recipe is very simple to make, and trust me when I say; When you taste this recipe, you will NEVER go back to box mix vanilla pudding.  Trust me.  The box mix just doesn't do justice to a banana pudding.  Of course this is my opinion.  Told ya'll I was a Midwestern girl with a Southern flair for cooking and baking.  Maybe this is because the South is in my blood.  My mom was from a small town in Kentucky, and my dad from a small town in South Carolina.  Anyway, see the recipe below, and a picture.  Sorry, no live footage for this one.  My husband was rushing me because my banana pudding is to die for!  Kidding, but the banana pudding is to die for!

Homemade Banana Pudding

For the vanilla pudding:
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 lg egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract



1 box of vanilla wafers
4 very, very ripe bananas (you know the ones with the brown spots)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice


In a sauce pan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.  Slowly add milk to the mixture with the stove burner set on low temperature.  Gradually mix in egg yolks one at a time, with a whisk.  Turn burner up to medium temperature, and whisk constantly.  Allow custard to thicken, this process is the longest, but still not too long.  Be prepared to whisk for 8-10 minutes.  You must constantly whisk to prevent scorching, do not stop.  Once custard starts to bubble, as in a slow bubble, turn heat down to low, and whisk for one more minute, then remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla extract, and stir thoroughly. Bring to room temperature.  After 40 minutes, you may refrigerate the pudding to accelerate the cooling process. 


Layering the banana pudding and putting it all together.


Unfortunately, I didn't count how many vanilla wafers I used, but I will say that only about 1/8 of the box's contents remained.  So......Layer a glass casserole dish with vanilla wafers.  You want to make sure your bottom layer has as a nice amount of wafers, as to cover the bottom of the dish as good as possible.  next slice your bananas about 1/4 of an inch thick and place all of the banana slices in a bowl with a lid.  Pour lemon juice over the bananas, secure the lid, and toss thoroughly.  The acid in lemon juice preserves sliced fruit, and keeps it from browning, and keeps your banana pudding fresh, and appetizing to the eye.  Lemon also enhances the flavor of fruit when used in a dessert.  Shake off excess lemon juice, I placed mine on a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath to catch the drippings.  Place a layer of bananas on top of vanilla wafers in dish.  Use approximately 1/3 of what you have.  Add 1/3 of your pudding on top of bananas, and spread evenly, next repeat with vanilla wafers, (Not as many as the first time), bananas, and vanilla pudding.  Repeat these steps until all of your ingredients are used, ending with vanilla pudding.   You may crush up the remaining vanilla wafers and add to the top of the dessert, you may also put bananas on top if you have any left over.  Serve in a dish, or a brandy glass (minus the brandy of course!) feel free to top with whipped cream and enjoy!  (whipped cream not necessarily necessary).