Recipe: White Chocolate Banana Pudding

Or what to do with browning bananas other than banana bread

My paternal grandmother loved being a hostess. My grandparents had beautiful (to me) lounging spaces with comfortable cushioned bamboo armchairs and patios with screened windows that let the late summer breeze flow in (and kept out the mosquitos). There was always chilled wine—even if it is was boxed—and small appetizers of toasted nuts and potato chips scattered around the table. She was however :ahem: a very mediocre cook, and I hesitate to say so (repose en paix grand'-mère), but that’s the truth, and she probably knew it too because she consistently microwaved Brussels sprouts until the entire kitchen smelled like wet towels. As a no-fuss entertainer, she was particularly fond of instant boxed puddings, for their ease and simplified presentation. I never saw her use an oven; in that way we are very different! Pistachio was her favorite pudding flavor—and I suppose mine too when I was at her house, because chocolate was not an option (although Snack Pack chocolate puddings very regularly made an appearance in my lunchbox). It’s probably also because researchers were not extolling the properties of heart-healthy chocolate the way they do today, nuts were considered healthy and low calorie sweeteners were having a moment, which many boxed/packaged foods contained.

I haven’t looked in a while, but I’d think given their ubiquitousness and parent companies (JELL-O is owned by Kraft Heinz for example), the recipes haven’t changed much since my grandmother last made it for us. Basically they consist of sugar and flavoring agents for flavor and cornstarch for thickening properties. But it is the memory of those summer afternoons on the porch with a chilled glass of sweetness that got me thinking—why don’t we use naturally thick(er) fruit and foodstuffs for puddings? (Of course some people have!).

I am always looking for clearance items at the market, and the produce section (and dairy!) can be a particularly wonderful area for great deals, along with the boosted angle of limiting food waste. If you only see hard green perfect bananas at your local grocer, ask if they have spotted or browner ones on sale for “banana bread”—so what if it’s for a pudding instead! If you are increasingly concerned with banana’s lack of genetic and biodiversity, carbon footprint and wage/labor issues, much like cacao, (which is another reason I prefer to buy Canaries bananas or those that are already going to be thrown away), of course talk to market managers and import companies about these conundrums, but you could easily swap them out (perhaps with a little more sweetener added to final recipe) with something more local or available to you such as blanched and peeled peaches and quince, avocados, mangoes, sweet potatoes, or pumpkin, because we’re still in October after all.

{Of further interest, this book comes recommended: Dan Koeppel’s Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World}

White Chocolate Banana Pudding
2 glass sized servings
(Stove top ready. My no-oven friends can make this too!)

Tools needed:
1 bowl
1 small to medium sized pot
Spatula
Whisk
Blender or food processor (or some elbow grease and a fork)
2 shorter glasses or martini glasses

Ingredients:
3 large :quite: or very ripe bananas
250ml oat milk*
2 tablespoons oat flour
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds of 1/4 of a vanilla pod
35g white chocolate
120ml whipping cream**

Additionally:
dark, milk/mylk, and/or white chocolate shavings for decoration

*can also use cow’s milk or another milk alternative
**coconut cream is great too!

Steps
1) Combine the peeled bananas, vanilla extract, salt and oat milk in the blender and blend until homogenous.
2) Transfer this base to a pot and stir in the oat flour. Mix well and continuing stirring the mixture on medium heat until it begins to resemble a thicker consistency and “bubble gum” type bubbles are releasing. Be careful to not burn this mixture. Take it off the flame/heat.
3) Add the white chocolate of your choice to the hot mixture, let sit for about 1 minute and combine fully. Let cool as you prepare the whipped cream.
4) In a cool bowl, whisk or whip the cold whipping cream until peaks form.
5) Stir the banana mixture again to ensure your desired texture (it will further firm in the fridge) and that the chocolate pieces have melted entirely. Pour 3/4 of the mixture equally into your clean glasses. With the remaining amount, fold in the whipping cream until incorporated and divide this into the two glasses evenly as the second layer of the pudding cup. Leave in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours with a small plate on top (to prevent a skin forming) and up to two days in the fridge with a layer of plastic wrap.
6) For serving; remove from the fridge and add the chocolate shavings on top.

Now spoon with gusto!

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