Banana Pudding — The Sweet End to a Smoke-and-Memory Kind of Day

April 2025. Spring in Memphis, and I am 66, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 41 years of marriage. Mama's absence still a presence in the kitchen — her recipes on the counter, her cast iron skillet on the stove, her voice in my head saying "more cinnamon" and "don't overwork the dough".

Comfort food this week: a big pot of collard greens with smoked turkey neck, simmered for three hours until the greens were dark and silky and the pot liquor was a treasure. The kitchen smelled like Mama's kitchen in the shotgun house, and I stood at the stove and stirred and thought about hands — her hands, small and strong, teaching mine everything they know about turning humble ingredients into something that feeds not just the body but the soul.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 66 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

That same week, after the collard greens were put away and the smoker had gone quiet, Rosetta pulled out the bananas that had been sitting on the counter going soft — exactly the way Mama always let them go before she made her pudding. It felt less like a decision than an instruction from somewhere. This banana pudding is the one that closes out a day like that: unhurried, familiar, the kind of sweet that doesn’t ask anything of you except to sit down and receive it.

Banana Pudding

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min (plus 2 hrs chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups whole milk
• 3 large egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 box (11 oz) vanilla wafers
• 4 to 5 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Make the custard. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Temper the eggs. Slowly ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks, whisking constantly to temper them. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy.
3. Finish the custard. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
4. Layer the dish. In a 9x13-inch baking dish or a deep trifle bowl, arrange a single layer of vanilla wafers across the bottom. Top with a layer of sliced bananas, then spread about half the warm custard evenly over the bananas.
5. Repeat the layers. Add a second layer of vanilla wafers, another layer of banana slices, and pour the remaining custard over the top, spreading it to the edges.
6. Whip the cream. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Top and chill. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the pudding. Crush a few extra vanilla wafers and scatter over the top if desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 58g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg