- Sift the cornstarch, sugar and salt together.
- In a saucepan, heat the milk to just a simmer. Slice the vanilla bean down the center and scrap out the tip of a sharp knife. Add sugar and vanilla beans to saucepan Slowly pour a third of that into the cornstarch mix and whisk well. When incorporated, add another third and whisk again. Pour the mix into the remaining vanilla milk in the pan. Heat on medium low and stir with a whisk, careful not to scorch the bottom. Heat until mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and chill at least an hour.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the chilled custard. Peel five bananas and mash them with a fork. Fold into the pudding. To serve, spoon the pudding into mugs or half pint mason jars. Top each pudding with a slice of the remaining banana. Sprinkle with vanilla wafer crumbs if desired.
If you want to go “chef-crazy,” dip the banana piece into raw sugar first and hit it with a torch to caramelize or “brulee” it.
Makes 8-10 servings
