Shelly's Recipe

BANANA PUDDING - SOUTHERN-STYLE

Category: Pudding / Brulee / Flan

1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs (separated)
2 bananas (very ripe and mashed)
2 tablespoons butter (softened)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
about 44 small vanilla shortbread cookies
2 bananas (ripe but firm)
2 cups whipped cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon rum
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup of sugar

Combine 3/4 cup granulated sugar, salt, and flour in a medium bowl. Slowly stir milk into dry mixture. Put mixture on top of saucepan over simmering water and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Beat egg yolks and mashed bananas in a small bowl, and then briskly stir a small amount of the hot mixture from step 2 (about 1/2 cup) into this mixture. Add egg yolk mixture back into the hot mixture in top of double boiler and stir in butter and vanilla. Cook until mixture thickens again.

Place a layer of vanilla shortbread in an 11x7-inch baking dish (or other shape 2-quart shallow baking dish). Add a layer of sliced bananas. Continue layering until all cookies and banana slices are used. Pour pudding mixture over top, and place in refrigerator to cool. When cooled completely and ready to serve (at least 2 hours, and up to overnight) in a bowl, whip the 1/4 cup sugar into heavy cream. Mix in rum and zest of 1 lemon, and whip until soft peaks form. Top pudding with whipped cream. Serves 6-8