Thursday, October 4, 2012

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble

 
 
"The first and greatest commandment is,
Don't let them scare you."
- Elmer Davis
 
 
I love bananas, I mean what's not to like? They're always in season. You can tell just by looking at them if they're ripe. They come in a smart little package. You can store them in the freezer to use later if they're about to go bad. They're also full of nutrition. And they're cheap to boot. What more could you ask for?
 
 
Whisking up the yolks, sugar and cornstarch. My yolks are bright orange since they come from my own free range chickens. This resulted in my pudding being bright yellow. If you use store bought eggs your pudding will be much lighter in color.
 

 I love the things, so we always have some on hand. When I saw this recipe on Food and Wine, I knew I needed to make it. I was attracted to the fact that unlike a traditional banana pudding served from a large dish, these can be made individually. I also loved the crumble to give a different texture. Pudding is such a great dessert to make for guests at a casual dinner party, since it needs to be made in advance.

This banana pudding is just scrumptious. Creamy and rich and not too sweet, topped with a crunchy vanilla wafer crumble. It's easy and simple to put together. A great dessert to have in your back pocket for any occasion.


Scraping the seeds from the vanilla bean. I buy vanilla beans in bulk from a vanilla company on EBay. The seeds are fresh, and much cheaper than from the grocery store.


I am having a dinner party soon and some of the guests are gluten free. This is a great gluten free dessert, if you use some gluten free cookies for the crumble, of course.




Spooning the pudding into individual vessels, makes serving at the end of dinner even easier. I used teacups, but if teacups aren't your thing, you can use some champagne glasses, or martini glasses. Or you could spoon them into little mason jars. 

If you own some demitasse or espresso cups, you could use them for the pudding on a dessert buffet. Their small size won't fill guests up, if there is more than one dessert option.


Crumble ready for toasting in the oven.

A heartwarming, comforting cup full of goodness.

 






Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble


adapted from David Guas for Food and Wine

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients

For the pudding

5 large egg yolks
 
1/2 cup (100 g.) sugar
 
1/4 cup (32 g.) cornstarch
 
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) whole milk
 
3/4 cup (177 ml) heavy cream
 
1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped out, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
3 ripe bananas, sliced


For the crumble

1 cup vanilla wafers (about 15 cookies) coarsely ground - If you are making this gluten free, make sure to use a type of cookie that is GF. You can use any type of vanilla cookie, or even animal crackers.
 
2 teaspoons sugar
 
Pinch salt
 
2 Tablespoon butter, melted
 
 
Directions
 
To make the pudding
 
Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Add the milk, cream and the vanilla bean seeds as well as the pod, to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk a little at a time into the egg mixture. Once the bottom of the bowl is warm, slowly whisk in the remaining hot milk. Pour the mixture back into a clean medium saucepan (cleaning the saucepan prevents the pudding from scorching), whisk over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Cook while constantly whisking until the pudding is glossy and quite thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the vanilla bean pod (or if you are using vanilla extract, add it now.) Stir in the sliced bananas.Transfer the pudding to individual dishes. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the puddings to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.         

 
To make the crumble:
 
While the pudding sets, heat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit, 160/170 Celsius Gas Mark 3.
 
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, and set aside.Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and stir in the sugar and salt. Use a spoon to evenly stir in the melted butter, transfer to the prepared baking sheet, and toast in the oven until brown and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. (The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months; re-crisp in a 325°F oven for 6 to 7 minutes if necessary.)
 
Just before serving, add crumbs to each portion and serve.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

I am not a pudding person but your presentation is beautiful and I would even try it. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday and remember to come back and vote on Sunday

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

I love banana pudding! It's so cute how you served it in the cups! Thanks for linking up with me for Friday Favorites!

Jenn said...

I really wish I was holding one of those cups in my hand right now. Sounds fabulous!

icakepops said...

So pretty in those vintage cups. What a great idea for a ladies brunch!

Becky McNeer said...

love real banana pudding! thanks for the tutorial and for sharing at foodtastic friday!

Seaweed and Raine said...

This is a fantastic recipe! I love that you can make it in stages. Bookmarking it to try and see if I can get it to turn out dairy free for my brother - fingers crossed! :)

The Mandatory Mooch said...

This looks delicious!! I would love for you to share at my linky party going on right now. http://www.mandatorymooch.blogspot.com/2012/10/tasty-thursdays-11.html

Thanks, Nichi

Krista said...

I love anything banana and this looks divine! Thanks for sharing at Church Supper, love seeing new faces. Have a blessed week and come back soon ~EMM

PS I'm following you on FB now as well!

HungryLittleGirl said...

What a lovely picture! I am so happy I found your blog on the Flamingo Toes link party! This looks and sounds so delicious.

Unknown said...

Love banana pudding. Such a great recipe and I love it put in the tea cups. Thanks for sharing.

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RedBettySummer said...

I love that you put your dessert in tea cups. How cute! This recipe looks easy and delicious. Thanks so much for sharing.

carolinaheartstrings said...

Looks delicious and what a great presentation! Come and visit us. We are having a wonderful giveaway this week. You will love it.

Unknown said...

So pretty and SO yummy looking! I always love visiting your blog:) Thanks for linking up To Whimsy Wednesday again this week!
Kelly,
Smart! School {House}

Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick said...

Your presentation is so pretty!
Thank you for linking up with The Clever Chicks Blog Hop and I hope we see you back again next week with another lovely post!

Cheers,
Kathy Mormino
The Chicken Chick

shaharv said...

I love banana pudding!! So glad I found this recipe. I am going to make it this weekend. Looks so easy. Thanks!!!

Marble Creek said...

Oh I love the cups. My grandmother was from England and my Mom taught me all about tea and pretty cups as a child.

Jocelyn said...

I love that you served these in cute tea cups...such a fun and different presentation!!!

boulevardsg said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John Hilston said...

Gonna try this recipe on this weekend.
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I am trying this recipe.discount airport parking essentials

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Blogger said...

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