Overnight Banana Pudding with Real Vanilla Custard

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A from-scratch stovetop vanilla custard — egg yolks, whole milk, a split vanilla bean — layered with vanilla wafers and ripe bananas, then chilled overnight until the cookies melt into soft cake. Topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream instead of meringue, so it stays creamy for days.

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 5 large egg yolks
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 11 oz vanilla wafer cookies (about 1 standard box)
• 5 ripe but firm bananas
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, very cold
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs, for garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the milk into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the split vanilla bean into the milk and add the pod. Warm over medium heat until steaming and just barely bubbling at the edges, about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover, and let steep 10 minutes. Fish out and discard the pod.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until no lumps remain. Add the egg yolks and whisk to a thick paste — it will look stiff at first and loosen as you go.
3. Whisking constantly, pour about 1 cup of the warm milk into the yolk mixture in a slow stream to temper it. Once smooth, whisk in the remaining milk.
4. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping the corners, 5 to 8 minutes. The custard will thicken suddenly; once it comes to a full bubble, keep whisking for 60 to 90 seconds more to cook out the starch. It should hold a ribbon on the surface.
5. Off the heat, whisk in the butter a piece at a time, then the vanilla extract. For an absolutely silky texture, press the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Let it cool, uncovered and stirred occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes — you want it warm but no longer hot, so it still flows.
6. Slice the bananas 1/4 inch thick and toss gently with the lemon juice to slow browning.
7. Spread a thin layer of custard over the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish or trifle bowl. Cover with a single tight layer of vanilla wafers, then a layer of banana slices, then about one-third of the remaining custard, spreading to the edges to seal the fruit. Repeat twice more, ending with custard on top and making sure no banana is exposed to air.
8. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin. Refrigerate at least 8 hours and preferably overnight — this is when the wafers hydrate and turn into soft cake layers.
9. Just before serving, whip the cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until it holds soft, billowy peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not take it to stiff peaks or it will look grainy.
10. Peel off the plastic wrap, spoon the whipped cream over the pudding in swoops, and scatter with vanilla wafer crumbs. Serve cold, scooping straight down through all the layers.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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