Banana Pudding

There are a few items that just scream of the South. Sweet tea, fried chicken, watermelon, and of course, biscuits are a few. I'm sure there are plenty more food you can think of, but today's topic is all about banana pudding. This is one of my mother's favorites, so I decided to make some for dessert for her on this past Mother's Day. I found this recipe to make for her several years ago, before Pinterest even, so all I have is a printout. It must be good though, because she said it's one of the best banana puddings she's ever had.

1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
dash of salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 ripe bananas
1 Tbsp lemon juice (may use a bit more or less)
1 box vanilla wafers

3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3-1/2 cup sugar

Mix sugar and eggs together.

Add salt, cornstarch. Combine.

Add milk, and whisk until blended.

Slice bananas thinly, but not too thin. I usually shoot for about a 1/2 inch thickness.

Toss bananas in lemon juice. This will help keep the bananas fresh and stop them from browning. Don't skip this step!

Bring custard mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; cook until thickened. Remove from heat; add vanilla and mix well.

Arrange your layering station by having the bananas, custard and wafers close to your serving bowl. I used a 1.5 quart bowl as mine, and it was perfect.

Begin layering by placing a spoonful of custard in the bottom of your serving dish. Place a layer of wafers on the custard.

Place a layer of bananas on the wafers.

Keep layering until all the bananas/wafers are used up. I got three good layers out of all the ingredients.

Top the final layer of bananas with all of the remaining custard.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make the meringue by whisking the eggs whites with the cream of tartar until foamy.

Gradually add sugar until stiff peaks form and meringue is shiny. Spread carefully over top of banana pudding.

Bake banana pudding for 5-7 minutes until meringue begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool before covering and placing in the fridge.