I do love Alton Brown's show Good Eats. And watching his show generally makes me want to try whatever it is he's cooking. A few weeks ago he did a show all about banana pudding (entitled "Yes We Have No Banana Pudding"...which then made me start singing Louis Prima in my head). And of course, being pregnant and highly susceptible to wanting yummy things I see on TV, it made me really want banana pudding. This week, the stars aligned, I had 3 ripe bananas and an afternoon to put it together. And, oh my, the yumminess. It took me back to those church potlucks when I was a kid. I hadn't had this southern-style baked banana pudding in quite a long time. And his recipe is easy to make and delicious. Especially if you make the homemade vanilla wafers ahead of time. Although, I'm sure store bought would be just fine if you are short on time.
I didn't take any photos of the 'nilla wafers. They turned out yummy, but they didn't look very pretty.
My little guy helped me cut up the bananas with a butter knife. He did a great job and was too funny because he wouldn't touch the cut bananas with his fingers (too sticky). He would cut a slice off and then balance it on the knife and put it in the bowl.
Making the pudding part was easier than I thought it might be. I didn't have the half 'n' half that Alton Brown called for, so I used 2% milk, and it thickened nicely and tasted really good. The trick is to use a thermometer if you have one. I used my digital meat thermometer and held it on the side of my pot with a binder clip. It worked great. I stirred the pudding while Dylan cut up the bananas.
Then it was time to layer it in. Alton Brown calls for a glass mixing bowl to layer it all in. Which is nice, and looks pretty because you can see the layers. However, I prefer to use a flatter, even dish so you get the yummy meringue topping in every serving. With a deep bowl you'd lose that.
And without further ado, here's the recipe. :)
Vanilla Wafers
Recipe by Alton Brown, 2010
7 ounces all-purpose flour (I split this in half and did half white whole wheat flour and half all purpose)
3/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 ounces vanilla sugar (You can use regular sugar here, or do what I did and put the sugar in a food processor with the scrapings from the inside of a vanilla bean or two)
1 large egg
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk (I used 2%)
Position 1 oven rack in the top third of the oven and another in the bottom third. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and vanilla sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after 1 minute. Add the egg and incorporate on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl. Add the vanilla extract and milk and blend on low speed for 15 seconds. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just to incorporate. Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before scooping.
Scoop the batter in teaspoon-sized balls and arrange them on 2 parchment paper-lined half sheet pans, approximately 35 cookies per pan. Use the heel of your hand to slightly flatten each ball. Bake, 2 pans at a time, rotating the pans halfway through the baking, until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pans to a cooling rack to cool completely before removing the cookies from the pan.
(Alton Brown's recipe says it makes 70 cookies, we didn't get that many...I think we had 50, which was still plenty for the pudding recipe).
Baked Banana Pudding
Recipe by Alton Brown, 2010
3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups half-and-half (I used 2% milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 vanilla wafers (I didn't count mine and probably didn't layer them as thickly so I don't think I used this many)
1 pinch cream of tartar
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Toss the banana slices and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. (I skipped this step, so my bananas turned brown by the next day.)
Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the flour and salt in a 3-quart saucier. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the half-and-half and carefully whisk to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 172 to 180 degrees F, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken and bubble around the edges. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
Spread a small amount of the pudding in the bottom of an oven-safe 1 1/2-quart glass mixing bowl (as you can see from my photos, I used a flatter corning ware dish instead. I imagine a square glass pyrex would work too). Cover with a layer of vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of banana slices. Pour 1/3 of the remaining pudding on top of the bananas and repeat, ending with a layer of pudding.
Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (I used my whisk attachment on my immersion blender...it whips up egg whites in no time). Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the warm pudding, being sure to cover the edges. Bake until the meringue is evenly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before serving. Cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
ENJOY! Really, I mean it. Be sure to eat some while its warm....that's the best :)
