BANANA PUDDING

Banana Pudding image

This is an old-school banana pudding down to its bed of Nilla wafers, topped with a quilt of meringue, above a pudding that owes some hold to cornstarch. It is not in any way fancy, though the meringue has its moments. The peaks may weep a little, if you let the dessert sit for a while to draw admiring glances from your guests, but no matter. It's fantastic inside, where it counts.

Provided by Sam Sifton

Categories dessert

Time 1h

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup cornstarch
4 cups whole milk
4 large eggs, separated and divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 11-ounce box nilla wafers
3-4 bananas, depending on size

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350. Make custard: whisk 3/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, milk and egg yolks in a pot set over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until it just begins to bubble, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn heat down slightly, and allow mixture to simmer, still stirring constantly, for 1 minute, then remove mixture from heat. Whisk in vanilla, salt and butter.
Make meringue: put the egg whites, cream of tartar and 1/2 cup of sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer, and set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is hot to touch, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the stand mixer fitted with whisk, and beat until stiff, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Line a 13-by-9-inch oven-safe casserole pan with one layer of Nilla wafers and one layer of banana slices. (Reserve remaining Nilla wafers for a child or incident of depression.)
Pour the custard over the bananas and cookies, then use a spatula to spread the meringue. Bake in oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the peaks are the color of a toasted marshmallow. Allow to rest until ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 419, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 63 grams, Fat 16 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 8 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 240 milligrams, Sugar 42 grams, TransFat 0 grams