I think most of you know by now that my son is a fruit lover. A “fruitarian,” my mom calls him. I’ve yet to find the fruit he dislikes, but among his absolute favorites are cantelope, kiwi, and bananas.
Wow, does that kid love bananas.
I remember a friend saying that she never understood why her mom bought bananas, because they always sat on the counter until they turned black, and then she threw them away. This is what would happen if I lived alone, because the thought of eating a plain, raw banana kind of makes me gag. But the fruitarian can’t keep his sticky fingers off of them.
I had a plan to keep the bananas on the counter for a few days. The plan was to tell the fruitarian in detail exactly what I planned to do with them, just to keep him motivated. “Picture this…,” I told him. “Banana pudding! Banana pudding with chocolate cake! And whipped cream!” (Spoiler alert: Banana pudding + chocolate cake, coming soon!) His eyes glazed over.
I think he drooled a little.
The next day, he had forgotten all about the pudding.
“Can I have a banana, mom?”
“No! Banana pudding, think about banana pudding!”
“Oh, yeah. Can we make the pudding right now?”
“The bananas have to ripen first. We need to wait a couple days.”
“But…! But…! Ahh! The bananas look so good! And they’re right there!”
I should really just start hiding the bananas from him. It would be more humane.
- 2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 T. cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 T. butter
- In saucepan, heat bananas with cream and milk over medium heat, stirring. After a few minutes, use a potato masher to smash bananas. Bring mixture almost to a boil.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pour slowly into hot cream mixture, stirring constantly. Continue stirring and cooking until it reaches a boil.
- Add a couple spoonfuls of hot liquid into eggs and mix. Quickly add eggs to pot, stirring constantly.
- Bring to a boil a boil 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Pour pudding into ramekins, and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the surface of the pudding, to keep it from forming a skin.
- Chill completely before serving.
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy:
Peanut Butter, Banana, and Honey Cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
Chocolate Pudding Pops from Tutti Dolci
Banana Cookies with Banana Icing from Created By Diane
Looks yummy. However, I am waiting with bated breath for the chocolate cake part. 🙂
Sounds delish…I love banana pudding…as in obsessed with it!
We never have banana bread or pudding because, well, the bananas are right there! I need to learn discipline 😉 Nice recipe and fun story – thank you.
Lol, my youngest is also “fruitarian” (love the word) and bananas are his weakness as well as melons. Love the recipe. I never made Banana Pudding from scratch….must try it 🙂
Pingback: Banana Chocolate Chunk Mini-Muffins | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Pingback: Chocolate Banana Parfait | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Pingback: Favorite Fruity Treats | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Pingback: Strawberry Pudding | Jen's Favorite Cookies | Recipes & Photos - Part 1
Jen, You’ve GOT to make “Southern” banana pudding! Use Vanilla Wafers on the bottom. Put 1/2 of the pudding mixture, then another layer of Vanilla Wafers, and finish with pudding. Top with meringue instead of whipped cream. Yum!
Jill4Bama, that sounds fantastic! My son talks about this banana pudding all the time, and would literally love anything that is made with bananas. The other day, he begged me to make this pudding again. He said, “Don’t do it for me, mom. Do it for the photos!” (He knows me too well!) I’m going to try this version next time, thanks!