What this What this recipe isn’t: low fat, low sugar, paleo, vegan or low carb. What this recipe is: the real thing. It’s not much different from banana pudding recipes from 50 years ago, and I figure if our great-grandmothers made it, it’s okay to eat it.
We Southerners are crazy about our banana pudding. It’s a staple at church suppers, potlucks , VFW dinners, and Fourth of July picnics. If there’s no banana pudding, it’s probably not a real party.
It’s worth looking at where this craze came from. According to Our State Magazine, banana pudding caught on after the Civil War, first in the ports of New Orleans and Louisiana, where bananas arrived by ship, imported from Latin America. Serious Eats reports that home cooks began including bananas in classic English trifles – layers of cake, custard, fruit, and whipped cream. By the turn of the century, recipes for banana puddings were showing up in cookbooks and newspapers.
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In 1960s the interstate system was completed and exotic fruits like bananas began to be shipped to grocery stores around the country. At around the same time Nabisco began producing its classic Nilla Wafers and boom – a national dessert was born.
There are regional differences – a good Southern banana pudding is built in alternating layers of vanilla wafers, bananas and custard , while I hear it’s acceptable in other places to just pour the custard over a pile of wafers and bananas. I prefer the layered method because the cookies and the custard absorb the flavor of the bananas better.
The base for this recipe is a classic custard made with eggs, sugar, and cornstarch. For the vanilla wafers, I used Trader’s Joe’s Ultimate Vanilla Wafers, which have little flecks of vanilla in them, but next time I think I’ll try making my own, like these from Kitchen Joy, or these from the Baker Chick.
A couple of other notes: You can buy whipped cream for topping, or use the same method and ingredients we used for homemade whipped cream in our Strawberry, Chambord and Mascarpone Parfait. Place a metal bowl and whisk in the freezer for 15 minutes. Pour 2 Tablespoons of powdered sugar into the metal bowl and add 1 cup heavy whipping cream. Whisk just until the cream reaches stiff peaks – 2-3 minutes.
There’s certainly a lot to find out about this issue. I really like all of the points you’ve made.