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Banana Pudding, Foster's Style

Source of Recipe

From "The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"Banana pudding is for some members of my family the queen of desserts. I've always thought it was invented as a use for the glass or trifle bowl so many Southern women have tucked away in the back of a cabinet."

List of Ingredients

For the pudding:
â—¦ 6 cups milk
â—¦ 3 large eggs
â—¦ 1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
â—¦ ½ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the bananas:
â—¦ 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ ½ cup light brown sugar
â—¦ ½ cup dark rum
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla
â—¦ 6 bananas

Assembly:
â—¦ 2 (10-ounce) boxes shortbread cookies, such as Lorna Doones, or vanilla wafers


Recipe

For the pudding:
Pour the milk into a large, deep saucepan and heat over medium just until warm to the touch and little bubbles appear on the surface. While the milk is heating, beat the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy; then beat in the sugars, flour, and vanilla, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in 1 ½ cups of the warm milk until fully combined, then scrape the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until the pudding has thickened—just a bit thinner than pudding should be as it will thicken on cooling. Pour the pudding through a sieve into a bowl, then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the bananas:
Melt the butter with the sugar and rum in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat and cook a further 3 minutes until the syrup is slightly thickened. Slice the bananas into ½-inch-thick pieces and drop them into the syrup. Stir gently to coat the bananas in the syrup and cook until warmed through.

To assemble:
Make a layer of half the cookies in the bottom of 3-quart glass trifle bowl or dish. Spoon over an even layer of bananas and syrup, then a half of the pudding. Layer over the remaining cookies, then the bananas, and finish with a layer of pudding, spreading it evenly to cover the bananas. Leave to cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is fine.

Serves 8