“As a teenage cook, Chef Lachelle Cunningham was determined to make a banana cream pudding, her dad’s favorite dessert and his choice for his birthday and family celebrations. This recipe is inspired by Lachelle and weaves together several different recipes from church cookbooks. The key here is to use ripe bananas and to make the pudding from scratch. The dessert is sometimes called “Nilla Pudding” for the Nilla Wafers it contains or “Nanner Puddin’” for the bananas. Harvey Rupert, former AFC board member, likes to do a grown-up version by adding just a few teaspoons of banana liquor or banana extract for extra banana flavor, but it is also fantastic as is.”

 

Serves 8 to 10 

Ingredients

4 egg yolks

¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup sugar

2 cups half-and-half

Generous pinch coarse salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. butter

½ box Nilla Wafers, plus more for garnish

4 bananas

 

Directions

In a large pot, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until thick and creamy. Add the sugar, half-and-half and salt. Set the pot over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Once it reaches room temperature, chill in the refrigerator; the pudding needs to be cold so it doesn’t dissolve the wafers. Can be chilled overnight.

To finish, slice the bananas and arrange the slices, pudding and wafers in layers in individual glasses or a large serving bowl. Garnish with crumbled wafers. Serve immediately.

 

From Appetite for Change: Soulful Recipes from a North Minneapolis Kitchen by Appetite for Change. Published by the University of Minnesota Press. Copyright 2024 by Appetite for Change, Inc. Used by permission.