Chris Swift the 2022 National Banana Pudding Festival winner made his winning recipe for Not Your Nana’s Nanner Puddin’ and David Reed, the Festival Board Chair gave all the details on this year’s event. The National Banana Pudding Festival will take place at the Hickman Ag Pavilion in Centerville, Tennessee near the Grinder’s Switch Railway Station. The hours of the event are Saturday, October 7, 9am-6pm and Sunday, October 8, 12pm-5pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids five to 12, $10 for the Pudding Path, and $7 for “Puddin’ to Go” boxes. Additional information is available at phone (931) 994-6273, or by email at info@bananapuddingfest.org.
NOT YOUR NANA’S NANNER PUDDIN’
Chris Swift / 2022 National Banana Pudding Festival Recipe Contest Winner, Brentwood, TN.
PUDDING
INGREDIENTS:
● 1 1/2 cups sugar plus 4 tablespoons (reserved)
● 3 level tablespoons plus 2 level teaspoons sifted All Purpose Flour
● 1 1/2 cups whole milk
● 1/2 cup heavy cream
● 3 large eggs (separated)
● 1 teaspoon vanilla
● 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
● 2 boxes Nabisco Nilla Wafers
● 4-5 firm yellow bananas
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate eggs. In a 2 qt sauce pot, whisk flour and 1 1/2 cups sugar together. Add milk, heavy cream & vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated. Use spatula to scrape edges. Add egg yolks and whisk until well incorporated. Place on medium high burner and add butter. Whisk gently as butter melts.
Once butter is melted, the pudding will begin to thicken (3-5 minutes). As it thickens, reduce heat to medium low, continue to whisk and scrape sides with spatula often. When pudding will layer, in approximately 1-3 minutes (take spatula and push from edge to center briskly and it should not fold back to smooth), remove from heat and set aside. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites on high. No yolk should be in the whites.
Incorporate 1 tablespoon sugar slowly while beating. As it stiffens, incorporate 1 tablespoon sugar slowly. When stiff, set aside.
CRUST
● 1 1/2 cups fine Nilla wafer crumbs (approx. 35 wafers)
● 2 tablespoons sugar
● 5 tablespoons softened butter.
Combine ingredients. Press into 7-1/2 x 9-1/2 pan evenly and bake for 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
ASSEMBLY
Slice 2 – 2 1/2 bananas in 1/4-inch slices and cover evenly over crust. Pour 1/2 of pudding to cover dish. Add another layer of Nilla wafers, slice remaining bananas on wafers and pour remaining pudding to cover dish. Dollop meringue on top and dab to sides covering dish. Leave swirls and uneven texture. Bake at 350 for approximately 8 minutes until meringue is golden brown. Enjoy!
