UPDATED: I have been informed that much of what I say in this article is just untrue.  I’ve apparently mixed up several stories.  This recipe is in fact my grandmother’s recipe on my mom’s side.  The title should be “Meme’s Banana Pudding.”  In any event, it is good banana pudding.

In February Teresa and I submitted 4 of our favorite family recipes to allrecipes.com. It took 4 1/2 months for them to get around to reviewing the first of them, my great grandmother’s banana pudding recipe.

Here is the story. My great grandmother on my dad’s side was Bami (pronounced bam-eye). Her banana pudding recipe is my dad’s favorite and he always ate it for his birthday. The problem was that Bami didn’t use recipes, it was all memory and feel. So when he requested my mom get the recipe and make it for him, she had to go over to Bami’s and measure everything as Bami made the recipe. (She had to do this with her cornbread dressing as well.)

By the time I was an adult I had taken on my dad’s tradition of eating banana pudding for my birthday. I too requested it from my wife. She got my mom to email the recipe to her. As Teresa made it the first time she realized there were a few things missing and had to call my mom for more instruction. My mom used a little too much memory and feel as well.

Why is this banana pudding so good? Aside from it being what I grew up eating, it is all made from scratch. There is no whipped cream in it. It is delicious homemade pudding layered over and over again with bananas and vanilla wafers. It all melds together, especially the longer you leave it in the fridge. Usually a double batch gets eaten withing 24 hours.

It is so good, that all other banana puddings are a disappointment or worse, gross.

So when we didn’t find a recipe quite like it on allrecipes.com we decided to submit it. After 4 months of waiting we learned that they rejected it. Obviously they don’t know what good banana pudding is.

Since they won’t publish it on their website, I will use my website powers to publish it here, for our meager audience. Below you will find the best banana pudding you will ever taste.

Bami’s Banana Pudding
Ingredients
Bananas
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons sugar, separated
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
A box of vanilla wafers

Directions
1. Place milk in a saucepan and scald. Milk is scalded when tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Do not boil.
2. Mix flour and 1/2 cup sugar.
3. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolk. Add sugar and flour gradually to eggs.
4. Pour mixture into milk a spoonful at a time, stirring constantly at low heat until thickened. Add vanilla.
5. Place custard in fridge and cool until it is set.
6. When cool, beat egg whites and 2 tablespoons sugar until they form stiff peaks when beater is removed. Fold egg whites into custard.
7. Layer bananas, custard, and vanilla wafers in pan or trifle dish. Alternate until pudding is used up, finishing with wafers decorating the top.