We went to NY with my family a couple of weeks ago and finally had the famous banana pudding from Magnolia's! It was heavenly. Not the fake banana flavors, real bananas, real good. My aunt has made this for family functions and I was lucky enough to get the recipe so here it is.
I started making this pudding when I was in my early twenties
and cooking at a Tex-Mex restaurant and bar. Customers loved it, so when we
opened the bakery many years later, it seemed like a great idea to serve it
there. It remains the second most popular dessert (after the cupcakes) at the
bakery.
·
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
·
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
·
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
mix (preferably Jell-O brand)**
·
3 cups heavy cream
·
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no
substitutions!)
·
4 cups sliced ripe bananas
1.
In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an
electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well
combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes
more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It
is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to
set.
2.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an
electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the
pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of
pudding remain.
3.
To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide
bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the
wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then
one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering
twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer
of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the
refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.
**I couldn’t find a 3.4 ounce vanilla pudding mix, so I
bought the larger one and didn’t use the whole package.
