Tremendous Banana Pudding
Prep
25m
Cook
15m
Total
40m
Bigly says
Folks. Banana pudding. TREMENDOUS banana pudding. We need to have a serious conversation because most banana pudding in this country is a TRAGEDY. It's a tragedy. You go to a potluck, somebody brings banana pudding in a plastic tub, the bananas are BROWN, the cookies are SOGGY in the wrong way, the pudding tastes like a yellow crayon — sad. Just sad. My grandmother made banana pudding. She was a tough woman. She would NOT recognize what passes for banana pudding today. She would walk in, look in the tub, and walk back out without a word. The ultimate review.
And let me tell you something else about banana pudding, something most chefs will NOT tell you because they're cowards — most of them use INSTANT pudding mix from a box. From a BOX. The box. They open the box, they dump the powder, they call it dessert. It's a disaster. It's a total embarrassment. People come up to me, big strong men, grown men, they say 'Bigly, my grandma used the box, what do I do' and I tell them, I say, your grandma was great, your grandma was a saint, but the box has to go. The box is over. The box era is finished.
Real banana pudding — Bigly banana pudding, the one you're about to make — uses real custard. Real eggs, real milk, real vanilla, the whole thing. And the cookies? Nilla wafers. The ORIGINAL Nilla wafers, the round little discs of perfection, do not get fancy on me, do not bring in some artisan biscotti, this is not a biscotti situation, this is a Nilla wafer situation. End of discussion. And the bananas have to be PERFECT — yellow with a few brown freckles, that's the sweet spot, that's the zone, anything else and you've lost the war before you've started. Plain and simple.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cupgranulated sugar
- 1/3 cupall-purpose flour
- 1/4 tspkosher salt
- 3 cupswhole milk(whole milk, not skim, skim is sad water)
- 4large egg yolks
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tsppure vanilla extract
- 4 largeripe bananas(yellow with brown freckles, not green, never green)
- 1 (11 oz) boxNilla wafers(the original, the classic, the only one)
- 1.5 cupsheavy cream(cold, very cold)
- 3 tbsppowdered sugar
- 1/2 tspvanilla extract (for whipped cream)
Steps
- 1
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, and salt.
- 2
Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth, then place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture thickens and just begins to bubble, about 8-10 minutes.
- 3
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper them.
- 4
Pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 5
Remove from heat and stir in the butter and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and let cool 15 minutes.
- 6
Slice the bananas into 1/4-inch rounds.
- 7
In a 9x13 dish or trifle bowl, layer half the Nilla wafers across the bottom. Top with half the banana slices, then half the warm custard. Repeat layers, ending with custard.
- 8
Cover with plastic wrap (pressed onto the surface to prevent a skin) and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- 9
Just before serving, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and 1/2 tsp vanilla to stiff peaks.
- 10
Spread or pipe whipped cream over the chilled pudding. Crumble a few extra Nilla wafers on top for garnish. Serve cold.
One more thing
When you serve this banana pudding people are going to lose their minds. They're going to ask you what's in it. You tell them love. You tell them love and four egg yolks. They'll think you're being cute. You're not being cute, you're being HONEST, this is what real dessert looks like, this is what your grandma WISHED she could make if she hadn't trusted that box. Forgive your grandma. She did her best. But now you know better. Now you know Bigly. You're welcome.
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Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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