I had an urge for banana pudding but wanted something different, then I thought, "Why not make a caramel banana pudding?" Banana pudding is hugely popular in the South. It's a standard in most Southern cafeterias where it sometimes appears as a vegetable, not a dessert, alongside that other popular Southern vegetable, macaroni and cheese. Yeah, I know, Southerners are weird. Rather than make caramel from scratch, I decided to use caramelized milk – dulce de leche – which you can probably find either with the condensed milk or in the Hispanic section of your supermarket. (Larger image.) Serves 6.

See Also

Fried Chicken: A Southern Favorite

Pork Cutlets: An Old Southern Favorite

Fried Green Tomato: Southern Goodness

Ingredients

• Filling:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 yolks (reserve whites); lightly beaten in a small bowl
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp almond extract
• 3 tbsp dulce de leche
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• Meringue:
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tarter (optional)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• Pudding:
• Vanilla wafers
• Amaretto
• 3 bananas; sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds

• Prep Time: 30 minutes

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 6.

Preparation

Filling:
1. Bring sugar, salt, milk and cream to a gentle simmer - stirring constantly - over medium heat. Whisk cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to form a slurry then whisk into milk. Cook, strirring constantly, until thickened and coats back of spoon.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in Amaretto, butter, vanilla, and dulce de leche. Slowly add a cup of milk mixture to egg yolks, whisking vigorously, then whisk yolks into milk mixture.

Cool to room temperature.

Meringue:
3. Whip egg whites in a perfectly clean glass, stainless steel, or copper bowl until semi-stiff. If not using a copper bowl, sprinkle in cream of tarter. Now whip to stiff peaks whatever the bowl is made of. Set aside.

Pudding:
4. Heat oven to 375F.

5. Line bottom of a 3 quart round soufflé dish with vanilla wafers and sprinkle lightly with Amaretto. Spoon 1/3 of pudding over cookies then add layer of bananas. Repeat twice more.

6. Top with meringue and bake until golden brown — 10 to 12 minutes. Cool, then chill for 3 - 4 hours before serving.