Old Skool

Sometimes you have to return to the classics for dinner, or in this case dessert. Buried beneath a sumptuous layer of rich vanilla pudding are the very pieces of fruit that are so everyday yet so scrumptious-- bananas. A little bit of a surprise for eager diners, it is the banana that brings this dessert from basic to bourgie.

I had never made pudding before; custards, bread pudding, creme brulee, sure, but good ol' classic pudding had never bounded off of my stove. Making pudding yourself is so simple that I'm not sure if I will ever have to use a Jello Cook and Serve again. Rich, smooth and sinful, yet delicate and not overly sweet, this pudding was vanilla, flavored with pure vanilla bean seeds that flecked the surface of the pudding and imparted a wonderful, perfumey flavor.

And the bananas, the very fruit that turned this pudding from ordinary vanilla, into Banana Cream Pudding. Half hidden parfait, half pudding, the bananas were sliced super thin, and then laid on top of the first half of hot, not-quite-set vanilla pudding. After the slices were carefully placed on the surface, more pudding was added. The pudding then rested and set in the refrigerator. The warm pudding cooked the bananas ever so slightly, infusing the dessert with a gentle hint of fruit.

After a few hours of refrigeration, the pudding was topped with a bit of decadent, stiffly beaten whipped cream, and crowned with just a few shavings of toasted coconut. Eating this pudding, I felt like I was in 1955, without the icky Salisbury Steaks. If you have a desire to be back in yesteryear, you can get the recipe for Banana Cream Pudding on the Daily Specials page.