The perfect dessert for a hot summer day in the South, made from scratch!
Every Southerner worth their salt knows that instant pudding mix and whipped cream just won't cut it.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups granulated sugar (set aside that .5 for the meringue topping)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
6 eggs, with the yolks separated from the whites
4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Box/bag of Nilla wafers (off brand works just fine)
5 fully ripened bananas
DIRECTIONS:
Add 1 cup of sugar, flour, and salt to a double boiler.
Slowly mix in your milk and egg yolks, stirring until it appears smooth.
Cook uncovered, stirring constantly until the pudding thickens, approx 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and gently stir in the vanilla extract.
Taste test! Be careful, it's still hot! You may want to add in a little extra vanilla or salt. This is a very sweet dish so the salt content has to be just right to balance it out.
In a casserole dish (I used 1.5 quart size), line the bottom with Nilla wafers, flat side down.
Slice bananas and layer them on top of the Nilla wafers.
Pour about 1/3 of the pudding over the bananas, smoothing to make sure there is an even layer.
Repeat until your dish is full, with the final layer of pudding on top.
Preheat oven to 425*.
Using a mixer, beat your egg whites (this can take several minutes) until soft "peaks" appear.
Slowly add in the sugar and continue beating the mixture for several more minutes. Your mixture will change color and consistency - you want it to be white in color with some firmness. A good way to check that your meringue is ready, is to cut your mixer off and remove the beaters. The meringue should sort of cling to it and form a small little mountain.
Spoon over the top of the pudding, then spread evenly using a rubber spatula.
I like to kind of floof mine by dragging it about 1/2 inch in rows to create that texture shown in the pictures. This is optional but looks prettier.
Pop it in the preheated oven for around 5-7 minutes. Keep your light on and check it to make sure it doesn't burn. I left mine in for about 8 minutes.
Don't worry if you have any left over, you can make a mini dish of banana pudding like I did! We brought it over to our sweet little neighbor Ms Gracie to enjoy. She loved it!
