The proof is in the pudding.....

Last year when we had just moved to London, we got invited to a 4th of July BBQ and that's where I tasted a fantastic banana pudding. Am not really into puddings but this one was just delicious and I actually asked for the recipe. Magnolia strikes again - the recipe is Magnolia Bakery's Famous Banana Pudding. The recipe proportions served about 15-20 people so I decided it would be perfect for Di's BBQ today. Safe to say the pudding was a hit as the huge bowl got polished off! When you read the recipe, don't think of calories please...just enjoy the result! It's not that often we indulge in puddings...

Ingredients:

1 can 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

1.5 cups ice cold water

1 3.4 oz pack instant vanilla pudding mix

3 cups heavy (double) cream

1 12 oz. box Nabisco Nilla Wafers

4 cups sliced ripe bananas

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat together the condensed milk and water until combined. Add pudding mix and beat well. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight before continuing. It is important for the pudding mix to set.

In a large bowl whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble, select a large wide bowl (4-5 Qt. capacity). Arrange 1/3 of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, then 1/3 of the bananas and 1/3 of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or crumbs on top. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

That's the original recipe. I had to improvise slightly as I did not have an instant vanilla pudding mix. I had to cook the pudding (hot milk in saucepan type) and then let it set. I combined the whipped cream with set pudding and the can of condensed milk and it still worked. I think the result was that the pudding was not too sweet. I did get the Vanilla wafers and the pudding mix from the US but am guessing you can find Vanilla custard mix and plain Vanilla wafers (cookies/biscuits) in London. I need to look for a wafer substitute in the grocery stores here but am told that the Nabisco wafers are available at Partridges in the Duke of York square.