my trip to chicago last week reminded me of b, a dear friend of mine while i lived in the city. we shared a lot of firsts together, many of which are related to food. one time he made this banana pudding for me, and it is something i've missed a lot. it was not just a typical mom's recipe. it was made with a light twist by adding fresh strawberry slices. the rich flavor of the custard, vanilla wafers and banana together tasted quite exotic to me, but in a good way. and i loved that the strawberries added a refreshing tartness to the pudding without overpowering it.

since we do not live in the same city any more, i have to make the dessert by myself when i miss it so much. this time, i decided to make the authentic flavor in mini jars, so it's easier for me to share with different groups of friends, or to take away when i feel like some afternoon snack.

mini banana puddings

inspired by b and trisha yearwood's banana pudding

makes eight 4-oz servings

step by step

for pudding

stir together the egg yolks and the extra one egg. set aside.

in a sauce pan, whisk together sugar, flour, salt. then stir in milk, then the egg mixture.

turn the oven to low-medium heat. cook the mixture and stir frequently for about 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens as custard. remove the sauce pan from the heat.

scrape vanilla seeds out of the pod and whisk in the custard.

to layer the pudding, start with a thin layer of custard at the bottom of the jar. arrange 3 slices of vanilla wafers, then 3 slices of banana, and end with the custard on top. feel free to add more wafers or banana if desired.

for meringue

preheat the oven to 425°f.

whip the egg white with an electric mixer set at high speed. add cream of tartar and continue whipping.

gradually add sugar one tablespoon at a time.

whip until the peak forms and the sugar dissolves.

use a spatula to spread the meringue onto the pudding. make sure to spread to the edge. 

bake the mini jars of pudding to the oven until the peak becomes lightly golden, for 5 minutes.

cool the puddings at room temperature for an hour, then refrigerate for another hour, and the pudding would be ready to be served cold!

nuts such as toasted almond slices or candied pecans are great toppings for the pudding.

ingredients

for pudding

egg yolks - from 3 large eggs

whole large egg - 1

granulated sugar - 1/2 cup

all-purpose flour - 3 tbsp

salt - 1/2 tsp

whole milk - 2 cups

vanilla bean - 1 pod

mini nilla vanilla wafers - 24 pieces or more

1/8 inch thick banana slices - from 2 medium ripe bananas

for meringue

egg whites - from 3 large egs

cream of tartar - a pinch

granulated sugar - 1/4 cup