By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus 3 hours' chilling
- Rating
- 4(175)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This banana pudding is not the usual vanilla-wafer-topped affair, and it doesn’t come from the South. It came to The Times in 2013 from Fedora, a restaurant in Manhattan, and it is divine: a rich, creamy custard fragrant with puréed ripe banana, topped with lightly salted, crisp crumbles of pistachio butter cookie. It is also irresistible — sweet, creamy, salty, crunchy — and all too easy to lap up. The pudding and crumble can be made entirely in advance (up to three days), though don’t sprinkle the crumbs over the top until you're ready to serve. You want to maintain the crunch for as long as possible, and once the cookie meets the pudding, the countdown begins.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 4large very ripe (lightly speckled) bananas, peeled
- 3cups whole milk
- 1cup heavy cream
- 300grams sugar (about 1½ cups)
- 60grams cornstarch (about ½ cup)
- 1vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped
- 4grams kosher salt (about 1 teaspoon)
- 6large egg yolks
- 15tablespoons unsalted butter
- 70grams pistachios (about ½ cup)
- 155grams all-purpose flour (about 1¼ cups)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
976 calories; 57 grams fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 108 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 68 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 392 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Using an immersion or standard blender, purée bananas until very smooth. Set aside.
Step
2
In a medium pot set over medium heat, combine milk, cream, 150 grams (¾ cup) sugar, cornstarch, vanilla bean and seeds, and 2 grams (½ teaspoon) salt, and cook, whisking, until liquid comes to a simmer and begins to thicken. Take the pot off the heat and whisk in banana purée, egg yolks and 3 tablespoons butter. Return pot to the heat and bring the mixture back to a simmer, whisking constantly. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until thick.
Step
3
Transfer the pudding to a bowl set in a larger bowl filled with ice water and whisk for 5 or until the pudding is cool to touch. Discard vanilla bean, divide the pudding in serving bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Step
4
Meanwhile, prepare the crumble. Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt the remaining 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter and set aside to cool.
Step
5
In a food processor, pulse the pistachios a few times until roughly chopped. Add the flour, remaining 150 grams (¾ cup) sugar, and remaining 2 grams (½ teaspoon) salt, and pulse until the ingredients are just combined. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs.
Step
6
Transfer the crumbs to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until crumble starts to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and using a flat spatula, flip the crumble over, piece by piece, so that the browned side is now on the bottom. The pieces will break apart; this is O.K. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crumble is golden-brown and very crisp. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely before breaking apart into crumbs. Serve crumble sprinkled over the banana pudding. (You will have extra crumble.)
Ratings
4
out of 5
175
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Cooking Notes
Wes
This recipe is totally delicious. Far superior to the banana-flavored store puddings. A couple notes.. First, make sure you cook it until truly thick and pudding-like. It won't really thicken anymore as it cools. I made this mistake the first time. Second, the crumble is great but can be skipped if you don't feel like making it. The pudding is great on it's own.
Meredith
I agree the pudding does not firm up very well and especially after a day in the fridge was more of a thick banana soup. The stuff makes absolutely sterling little popsicles, though, or serves up incredibly well with some mixed berries, and has a delightfully light flavor.For browning bananas, consider pureeing [or just vigorously fork-mashing if you don't feel like cleaning the blender] -with- the egg yolks to stave off oxidization.
Tom Deacon
A half a squeezed lemon in the mashed bananas will prevent it from turning brown.
dena
this did not set for me so I turned it into frozen banana custard.
dena
this did not set for me so I turned it into frozen banana custard.
Pat Rooney
Super rich and delish. Agree with previous comments about making sure the custard thickens completely while on the stove before plunging into ice water. For the crumble I used a few more pistachios and less flour.
Julia
Delicious! Next time I will split this among 8+ servings because it's quite rich. The crumble is good but you wind up with way more than needed -- I'd recommend making a half recipe or less, and agree with others that it's not required. Other commenters say this didn't thicken when cooled, but mine wound up a perfectly thick pudding texture.
Tom Deacon
A half a squeezed lemon in the mashed bananas will prevent it from turning brown.
Meredith
I agree the pudding does not firm up very well and especially after a day in the fridge was more of a thick banana soup. The stuff makes absolutely sterling little popsicles, though, or serves up incredibly well with some mixed berries, and has a delightfully light flavor.For browning bananas, consider pureeing [or just vigorously fork-mashing if you don't feel like cleaning the blender] -with- the egg yolks to stave off oxidization.
James
As soon as I pureed the bananas they turned a very dull brown, and that made the pudding appear very unappetizing, though tasty. Any suggestions to counteract that? Thanks.
Wes
This recipe is totally delicious. Far superior to the banana-flavored store puddings. A couple notes.. First, make sure you cook it until truly thick and pudding-like. It won't really thicken anymore as it cools. I made this mistake the first time. Second, the crumble is great but can be skipped if you don't feel like making it. The pudding is great on it's own.
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