Caramelized Banana Pudding

I got the idea to do a caramelized banana pudding after seeing all of the buzz around the caramelized banana lattes from the Nitro Bar in Rhode Island. This is an old-fashioned Southern banana pudding elevated with a real vanilla custard and a caramelized banana jam, plus the usual suspects like fresh bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla wafer cookies. Serve the pudding in tiny cups, and you have yourself the perfect dessert for your next summer barbecue!

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes (plus 2+ hours of chilling)

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• For the vanilla custard:

  • 4 egg yolks

  • 1/2 cup cane sugar

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch

  • 4 cups whole milk

  • 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

  • pinch of kosher salt

• For the caramelized banana jam:

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced

  • 1 cup brown sugar

  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

  • pinch of kosher salt

  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

• For assembling:

  • 1 unripe banana, thinly sliced

  • whipped cream

  • crushed vanilla wafer cookies

Method:

For the vanilla custard:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is well combined and smooth. The mixture should look slightly runny and glossy after whisking.

2. Place the milk and vanilla bean paste in a medium pot over medium heat. Continue stirring the milk until steam rises from it. Don’t let it boil! Take it off the heat immediately.

3. Place a towel under the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. This will prevent it from sliding around. While whisking the egg yolk mixture constantly, slowly stream in the warmed milk. Continue whisking until all of the milk has been poured in. This is called tempering. Now, your eggs should not curdle!

4. Place the mixture back in the pot and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the custard has thickened. You can tell when a custard is done if it coats the back of a spoon and a clear line remains in the middle after running your finger through it. Place the custard in a large bowl and let it cool completely.

For the caramelized banana jam:

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.

2. Once melted, add the sliced ripe bananas and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the bananas are softened and begin to fall apart.

3. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the jam has thickened.

4. Once it has thickened, add the cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.

5. Remove from the heat, and add the vanilla bean paste. Stir to combine. Place the jam in a small bowl and let it cool completely.

For the pudding and assembly:

1. Once the vanilla custard and the caramelized banana jam have cooled completely, fold them together using a spatula. Let the pudding chill in the fridge for at least an hour. The longer it sits, the better it gets!

2. When you are ready to assemble, whether in a large serving bowl or small cups, the process of layering remains the same. First, caramelized banana pudding, then some banana slices and crushed vanilla wafer cookies, followed by more caramelized banana pudding, topped with whipped cream and additional crushed vanilla wafer cookies. Serve, and enjoy!