The concept of banana pudding exposed a gap in my knowledge of yummy things, one that I am happy to close.

Several months ago a request came in for a recipe. I imagined a creamy pudding involving a banana purée or caramelized fruit, but all I could find were recipes for vanilla pudding covering bananas and cookies. Didn’t seem right, so I moved on.

Then a few weeks ago the topic came up during dinner with my friend Marsha, prompted by the appearance of a "’nana pudding" on the dessert menu. The pudding was not all that great, but got Marsha started on memories of her mother’s version — homemade vanilla pudding layered over fresh banana slices and vanilla wafers, all covered over in meringue.

This dessert is a classic of the South (Marsha is from South Caro­lina). So now I know.

To do this right, make a really good vanilla pudding and whip up your own meringue. The shortcut is pudding from a box and whipped cream from a can, but the results will be blah. No matter what, you’re supposed to use Nilla Wafers, those half-dollar-size vanilla cookies from Nabisco.

This version is largely based on Nabisco’s own with a few tweaks, such as butter in the pudding. It calls for a double boiler, which is supposed to make a smooth, silky pudding. But it’s not high art, so if you don’t want to bother, just put everything in a pot, simmer, stir a lot and be careful.

The result: Not at all blah; in fact, seriously fabulous.

To fancy this up, you could make your own vanilla wafers (good luck with that), assemble everything in a heat-proof trifle dish to display all the layers and brown the meringue topping with a kitchen torch.

BANANA PUDDING

3 egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
36 vanilla wafers
2 ripe bananas, sliced

» Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the pudding: Whisk egg yolks into milk.

Combine sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler over a pot of boiling water. Gradually whisk in egg mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and butter.

Break vanilla wafers into large pieces (don’t make them crumbly), reserving a few whole for garnish. Layer on the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Top with a thin layer of custard, then banana slices. Top with remaining custard. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

For the meringue: Beat egg whites on high speed of mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar and cream of tartar; keep beating until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over custard, all the way to the edges of the pan to seal. Bake 5 to 10 minutes, until top is browned. May be served warm or chilled. Garnish with reserved wafers. Serves 8.

Nutritional information unavailable.

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