hhgregg leslie

Serving up Southern hospitality is so much easier in a well-equipped kitchen where cooking for a crowd seems almost effortless. Several years ago I was introduced to a Southern staple, Banana Pudding, at the 150th anniversary of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at the University of Alabama.

This dessert is so much more than its name implies. I still talk about it and am always met with skeptical faces from friends envisioning Jell-o brand pudding. After trying many versions, I’m sad to report I’ve yet to reproduce the dessert I had at the SAE house.

Today’s craving resulted in this recipe from Southern Living. If you’re watching calories, it’s a good one to try and got rave reviews from the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s food columnist, the Food Goddess. Me? I’d replace the low-fat or non-fat ingredients with the real thing. My recommendations are in parentheses.

Banana Pudding
Serves 10

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (mix in 2/3 cup sugar)
Dash of salt
2 1/2 cups 1 percent low-fat milk (2-1/2 cups whole milk)
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk (1 can regular sweetened condensed milk)
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten (4 egg yolks … and you’ll come out even with the whites below)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups sliced ripe bananas (about 5 to 6)
45 reduced-fat vanilla wafers (a box of regular vanilla wafers)
4 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar (use super fine or baker’s sugar if you can find it at the store)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

(Note: Decadent readers use substitutes and additions in parentheses above. Adjust the following directions accordingly. Don’t forget to add the sugar to the first step.~Leslie)

Combine flour and salt in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in low-fat and condensed milks and yolks, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 8 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Arrange 1 cup banana slices in a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon 1/3 pudding mixture over bananas; top with 15 vanilla wafers. Repeat layers once; top with remaining bananas and pudding. Arrange remaining 15 wafers around inside edge of dish. Gently push wafers into pudding. Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved (2 to 4 minutes) Spread meringue over pudding, sealing to edge of dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Let cool at least 30 minutes.

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