Banana Nana Fofana Puddings

Growing up my mom did most of the cooking. Though my mom regularly worked, sometimes two jobs, she always managed to have dinner ready every night. The holidays were a cooking marathon of turkey, collard greens, potato salad, chitterlings, etc that lasted for days. My mom isn’t much of a baker but she would always make a pumpkin pie. Always. I don’t remember seeing my dad cook when I was a child, but however I do vividly remember his banana pudding. Layers of bananas, vanilla pudding, and wafers topped with whipped cream fueled my love for bananas and question the sanity of those that despise it. It is truly golden heaven in a bowl.

(Refrigerated Banana Pudding)

For Mardi Gras, Mark’s parents hosted a party in which we were invited. We were charged with bringing banana pudding though Mark and I had never made it. I texted my dad for his recipe and he replied that I should check the Nilla Wafer box. I was weary that the recipe called for pudding mix but he assured me that the pudding was made from scratch. When we went to the store to buy the ingredients the Nilla Wafer box had a recipe for a raspberry tort. It is because we live in the north according to my dad.

(Baked Banana Pudding)

After reading the reviews for several recipes, I found a common theme. The pudding was soupy and runny. This made me apprehensive because the pudding is the foundation of the recipe. Mark and I found two recipes that we wanted to try both by Alton Brown-Refrigerated Banana Pudding and Baked Banana Pudding. We couldn’t decide which recipe to make so instinctively we made both. We believed the ingredients and cooking method for each recipe were different enough for us to determine the best dish. The pudding for the refrigerated recipe calls for sugar, cornstarch, salt, eggs, egg yolk, whole milk, butter, and vanilla extract. After the pudding is assembled it is topped with whipped cream and refrigerated (obviously). The baked pudding version calls for sugar, flour, salt, egg yolks, half and half, and vanilla extract. The egg whites are saved to make a meringue that is spooned over the pudding and then baked until the meringue is evenly browned.

(Refrigerated Banana Pudding)

The puddings are cooked on medium-low heat until they reach an internal temperature of 172 to 180 degrees which according to the recipes should take about 5-10 minutes of constant whisking. WRONG. More like 20 minutes. From this we learned that those with soupy, runny pudding didn’t allow it to cook long enough. You will know when the pudding is done when it has a pudding consistency (duh).

(Refrigerated Banana Pudding)

(Baked Banana Pudding)

We made the pudding the day before in case our efforts ended in disaster and we had to think of a backup plan. The following day we finished each of the recipes and assembled the dishes. The baked pudding with flour and half and half was extremely thick and was like more of a custard. Because this recipe called to bake the dish we moved forward with the directions in hopes that the heat would loosen up the pudding.

(Refrigerated Banana Pudding)

(Refrigerated Banana Pudding)

At the party we served both puddings at the same time. We asked guests their opinion on each dish and if they tried both, which they liked best. Many people were reluctant to answer as they thought Mark had made one and I had made the other. We assured them that we made both together and sincerely wanted their honest answer. We learned that people liked both (that isn’t helpful)! Some people preferred the more classic refrigerated version while others liked the more sophisticated baked version. In the end it comes down to preference though with either recipe, you can’t go wrong.

(Refrigerated Banana Pudding)

(Baked Banana Pudding)

-Michelle

Recipes:

Alton Brown Refrigerated Banana Pudding:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/refrigerated-banana-pudding-recipe.html

Alton Brown Baked Banana Pudding:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-banana-pudding-recipe.html