a little taste of the city
i envy anyone who has the pleasure of calling new york home. i am one hundred percent in love with manhattan and i would visit that lovely island several times each year if i could. (i am watching the today show as a type this, wanting to strangle all the people frantically waving behind matt lauer. how come they get to be there and not me?!) anyway.... one of my favorite things to do while in ny is to snarf up some of magnolia bakery's banana pudding. heaven in a cup. i finally made myself a batch here at home and felt like i was back on the streets of manhattan. this stuff is amaze-balls.
magnolia bakery's banana pudding
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy cream
1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers
4 cups sliced ripe bananas
in a small bowl, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. it is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.
in a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.
to assemble the dessert, place 2-3 semi-crushed up nilla wafers in the bottom of a clear plastic cup (the recipe calls for the entire dessert to go into one large glass container, but i prefer individual servings). place several banana slices on top of wafers. dollop a generous spoonful of pudding on top off wafers and bananas. continue layering until cup is full. the recipe should yield about 18 individual serving cups. cover cups tightly with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate for at least four hours (but no more than eight).
if you love banana pudding, this will blow your mind.
