Banana Pudding

Instructions

Stir the milk, 1 cup (200 g) of the sugar, the butter, the salt and the vanilla together in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the butter has melted.

Whisk the egg yolks in a separate container, such as a coffee mug. Whisk in two tablespoons of the hot milk mixture to temper the yolks so they do not curdle, then whisk the smooth yolk mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir 2 tablespoons of cold water into the cornstarch until smooth, then whisk it into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly so it does not burn, until the custard thickens, then take it off the heat.

Whip the egg whites with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 g) of sugar in a bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Cut the bananas into slices about ¼ inch (5 mm) thick.

Lay a single layer of vanilla wafers or ladyfingers over the bottom of a large flat-bottomed bowl. Pour half of the lemon juice over them, spread on half of the custard, and cover with half of the banana slices.

Repeat with a second layer of cookies, the rest of the lemon juice, the rest of the custard and the rest of the bananas.

Spread the meringue over the top and sprinkle with the coconut. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

If you use a custard powder instead of making the custard from scratch, you will have no spare egg whites for the meringue, so top the pudding with whipped cream.