Banana Pudding Tumblers

Banana pudding is seen as a classic vintage Southern dessert—even though there’s no solid proof of its coveted lineage. Southerners just asserted it, and that, it appears, was enough for everyone else.

Of course, there’s no banana pudding without bananas. Southerners (and Americans in general) before the Civil War had few, if any, bananas. By the 1840s and into the 1850s, a small quantity of the fruit started arriving from the West Indies to Atlantic ports like New York and Charleston. But the bananas were a rare and perishable treat. However, after the Civil War, faster steamships and new trading ventures brought in more fruit from the Caribbean and Central America.

A fun fact about banana pudding is that there is actually no banana in the pudding itself. It features vanilla custard, with the “banana” part coming from the fruit.

Banana pudding is essentially a version of the trifle, an English dessert with layers of sponge cake, custard, and fruit, topped with whipped cream. We replaced the cake with everyone’s favorite cookie: Nilla Wafers. A fun fact about banana pudding is that there is actually no banana in the pudding itself. It features vanilla custard, with the “banana” part coming from the fruit.

For this recipe, use attractive, stemless glasses to dress it up. The number of servings depends on the size of the glasses and how generous you are with the custard. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 large egg yolks

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

2 ½ cups crushed vanilla wafers, plus whole wafers for garnish

4 medium bananas, peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick slices.

Prepared caramel sauce

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Directions

1. Whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium-sized heatproof bowl until well combined, then set aside. The mixture will be very thick.

2. Whisk together milk, whipping cream, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until steaming, about 5 minutes. Do not let the milk mixture boil.

3. Remove from heat, and slowly drizzle a cup of the milk mixture into the eggs using a ladle or measuring cup, whisking constantly until combined.

4. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the remaining warmed milk mixture in the saucepan, stirring constantly until blended. Cook the milk mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until it thickens and starts to simmer, about 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste.

6. Transfer pudding to a medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.

7. Spoon 3 tablespoons of crushed vanilla wafers into six large cocktail glasses. Top each with one-third of a sliced banana. Add a tablespoon of cooled caramel sauce, then top with one-third cup of pudding. Dollop each with about 2 tablespoons of vanilla bean whipped cream, and dust with crushed vanilla wafers. Cover loosely and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish each glass with a whole vanilla wafer.

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream

Ingredients

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons. powdered sugar

Directions

Using an immersion blender or mixer, whip the ingredients until a thick, moderately firm whipped cream forms. Cover and refrigera