Strawberry-Banana Pudding

By LRay

Martha Stewart Living, June 2016, page 102.

Sliced strawberries give this iconic southern treat a refreshing zing and a shot of color. The pudding needs to be refrigerated to set, so it's a great recipe to make a night in advance.

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 5 cups milk
• 8 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 large bananas
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 72 wafer-style vanilla cookies, such as Nilla Wafers (from one 11-ounce box)
• 1 pound strawberries (4 cups), hulled and cut into 1/4-inch slices, plus more, whole, for serving

Details

Servings 1
Preparation time 65mins
Cooking time 65mins
Adapted from marthastewart.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla beans and pod. Gradually whisk in milk until cornstarch has dissolved; whisk in yolks.

Cook over medium, whisking constantly, until the first large bubble forms and sputters. Reduce heat to low; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted; immediately pour through sieve into bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent skin from forming; let cool completely.

Cut bananas crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Combine cream and confectioners' sugar in a bowl; whisk until stiff peaks form.

Spoon one-third of pudding into a large glass bowl. Layer half of cookies, slightly overlapping, followed by half of bananas and half of strawberries. Spread one-third of whipped cream over fruit. Repeat layering of pudding, cookies, fruit, and whipped cream. Gently spread with remaining pudding; top with remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or, covered, up to overnight. Garnish with whole berries before serving.