Banana Pudding
(Serves 8)
The Custard:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
12 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups Angel Food Cake (see below for recipe),
cut into 1-inch cubes and lightly toasted, or vanilla wafers
4 large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick (about 5 cups)
The Meringue:
8 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Preparation:
Put the milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, and the vanilla bean into a nonreactive saucepan. (Do not split the vanilla
bean, just twist and bend it a bit to bruise and release its oils.) Heat slowly until the milk and cream are just
below a simmer, then cover and remove from the heat and allow to steep 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put the egg yolks in a
bowl and whisk in the sugar, following by the flour and the salt, mixing until there are no lumps and everything is
completley smooth. Remove the vanilla bean from the steeped milk and cream, and slowly whisk into the egg yolks. Return
the mixture to the saucepan, and cook, whisking constantly, over moderately high heat until the custard thickens and
begins to bubble. Be sure to whisk all over the bottom of the pan as well as along the bottom edges. Cook for 1 minute
after the custard begins to boil, then remove from the heat. At this point, it should be very thick. Strain through a
fine-meshed sieve into a mixing bowl, and immediately whisk in the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and vanilla extract.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
To assemble: Spoon a thin layer of the custard onto the bottom of an 8-cup ovenproof baking dish. Top with a layer of cubed angel-food cake and sliced banana. Spoon more custard over and continue layering, ending with custard spooned over the top.
Make the meringue: Put the egg whites into a spotlessly clean bowl. Beat the whites slowly until they become frothy. Add the vanilla, and continue beating until the egg whites just begin to form soft mounds. While still beating, begin sprinkling in the sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating only until each addition is incorporated before proceeding to the next. When all of the sugar is incorporated, beat the egg whites until they're moist and very glossy and hold peaks that are firm but still bend when lifted on the end of a whisk.
Immediately spoon the beaten egg whites over the surface of the assembled custard and, using a spoon or spatula, spread the whites to the edge to make sure you get a good seal between the meringue and the sides of the baking dish. Work quickly to make decorative swirls and patterns in the meringue, and put the dish immediately into the preheated oven to bake for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. (Se sure to check after 2 minutes to see how the meringue is browning, and turn the dish from time to time, if needed, to ensure even browning.) Serve the banana pudding warm or at room temperature.
Angel Food Cake
(Serves 10-12)
Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
12 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Sift the flour and 3/4 cup of the sugar together twice onto wax paper or a plate, and set aside.
Put the egg whites into a large, clean mixing bowl, and beat them on low speed until they become frothy. Add the cream of tartar, salt, water, and vanilla, and gradually increase beating speed until the egg whites begin to mound softly. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup sugar over the whites 1/4 cup at a time, and beat only until each addition is incorporated. Do not overbeat. The egg whites should be very moist and glossy, and just firm enough to form soft peaks.
Sift a quarter of the reserved flour and sugar over the beaten whites and gently fold in; repeat three times, proceeding with each successive addition only until all of it has been incorporated. Carefully and evenly spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Use a long spatula or butter knife to draw a deep line through the center of the batter the entire circumference of the pan (this will release any large pockets of air from the batter, which could result in large tunnels or holes in the finished cake).
Bake in the preheated oven to 35-40 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and springs back to the touch. Remove from the oven, and invert the cake to cool completely in the pan. When completely cooled, use a long straight-edged spatula to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and turn out. Store tightly covered.