Starting from scratch: banana pudding

One of the things that "burns Annalena's buttons" more than just about anything else in the food world, is packaged pudding mix. Have you ever read the ingredients on those things? OH GOD. It's a chem lab in a package. Yes, I know they're convenient. Yes, I know they're cheap. But, folks, for heaven's sake, do you REALLY need yellow food dye in your vanilla pudding, when good eggs will give it that lovely color too? And don't you DARE tell me for a minute "well, I can get low fat and low calorie ones." Give me a break. How many dishes of low calorie pudding do you put away when you eat it? And DON'T tell me "well, just one..." if the one dish is the size of a small boat.
Pudding is easy to make. It is fast to make, and it's so much better when you do it yourself. And people DO notice the difference.
At New Year's I tried a dessert that I had heard about for years,but had never eaten: banana pudding. I STILL haven't eaten it, because I couldn't get to the buffet fast enough. And people have been emailing me asking for it for next year. And people who weren't at the party are asking can I make it again.

And I smile and want to ask "what is it worth to you?" But of course, Annalena, being the saint she is, would NEVER call in chips like that, would she? Well, it all depends.

Seriously, puddings are such a snap to make that everyone should be making them. Perhaps not everyday, but often enough, especially if you have children. This is a really good way to get some milk into them.

Here's a recipe that makes a LOT of banana pudding. Now, I call for nilla vanilla wafers. I am really of two minds on this. People tell me that it's not banana pudding without them. I cringe at adding them, but I will say that, given what people expect, well... My instincts are to just crumble up homemade cookies and use the crumbs instead, but here, I will bow to vox populi. Don't expect it to happen again.

You start with 5 cups of milk. I use whole milk. I could see using 2% milk, and people tell me it will work with 1%. All I know is that Annalena's magic worked with the full good stuff. You will also need a cup of sugar, 4 large eggs, and 2 large egg youlks. Also, a half cup of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of butter, a really generous tablespoon of good quality vanilla extract, and those cookies. Also, have lots of bananas ready. And avail yourself of the different varieites of bananas available. I like the little red ones best.

You start by making a slurry. In a bowl, add a cup of milk, the sugar, all of the eggs and the cornstarch, and whisk this around. Put it aside for a minute.

Now, get a BIG pot and pour in the quart of milk you have remaining. Bring that to a boil at a medium heat. When that happens, get the slurry and start whisking it into the hot milk, whisking and stirring constantly. When you've stopped pouring and have a free hand, lower the heat, and keep stirring. Watch for the pudding to thicken. You'll know when it happens. There is a clear change as it picks up a sheen, and bubbles like a volcano. When that happens, get it off the heat PRONTO. Get this custard into a bowl, and add the vanilla and the butter. Stir it all together.

Now, get a big bowl, or a 9x13 tray, and pour out and spread about 1/3 of the pudding. Get your bananas, and start slicing them into the pudding. You can cut them any way you like: coins, long slices, however you like it. This is up to you. If I use different types of bananas, I use different cutting techniques for each one. Then put a layer of cookies over that. Repeat this. I like to end with a layer of cookies, but you don't have to.

This now needs to be chilled. I would suggest you let it come to room temperature, and then when that happens, cover it, and put it in the fridge . You need a minimum of 2-3 h ours, but overnight is better. The next day, the cookies will have picked up some of the liquid and the flavor and will have spread some. The whole mess is something like a trifle, but much looser.

I guess this is supposed to serve 8,but there were people at our party who would have eaten this whole recipe themselves. Keep this in mind.

Puddings always seem to be a big hit when I make them. I wonder if there is some connection to when we were kids, when pudding always seemed to make things better. Who knows? Want to feel like a kid again? Go for it