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.

Banana Cream Pudding
adapted from How To Cook Everything

Serves 4-5

1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
pinch salt
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped clean of the seeds
1-2 ripe bananas
whipped cream
shaved coconut

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn starch, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla bean seeds (reserve the pod for another use), and add the milk mixture to the sugar mixture.

Over medium heat, with a wire whisk, whisk mixture well to eliminate any clumps. Stir constantly, while bringing the mixture to a boil, and thickening the pudding. This should take about 10 minutes. Stir in the butter.

Thinly slice the banana. Pour half of the pudding into individual cups. Place banana slices on top of the pudding, covering the surface. Pour the rest of the pudding on top, slowly as to not disturb the banana slices. Cover each cup with plastic wrap, putting the wrap directly on the pudding to avoid getting a skin. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place untoasted, raw coconut on a baking sheet. Toast the coconut for approximately 7 minutes, until a golden brown color is achieved.

When ready to serve, whip cream stiffly, place a dollop of cream on unwrapped pudding, and sprinkle with shaved coconut. Enjoy!