ariel's making ... banana cream pudding

i totally love banana cream pie, but instead of having to make a crust, i invented a banana cream pudding that's just as decadent and only takes about 15 minutes to make.

you'll need:

1/2 c. organic sugar
2 organic eggs
1 c. organic heavy whipping cream
2 c. organic 2% milk
1/2 a vanilla bean
3 ripe organic bananas
1 t cinnamon
2 t dissolved cornstarch (optional)
extra whipping cream for topping

in a sauce pan, slowly heat the cream, milk, sugar, cinnamon and scrapped vanilla bean. stir constantly and don't let it boil. when it starts to steam, turn it off and go beat your eggs.

to the beaten eggs, slowly add a 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture. this tempers the eggs so they don't turn into scrambled eggs when you add them to the hot cream. now add the eggs to the large pot of cream (slowly!) and turn the heat back on low for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly and then remove from heat. to make your pudding extra rich and thick, dissolve the cornstarch in water and add to the cream mixture and mix.

whip the remaining cream (i did it by hand ... my evening workout!) and add a bit a of sugar, to taste.

line the bottom of cups with banana slices and top with your pudding! chill for at least two hours in the fridge. serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon. yum yum!

happy sunday darlings!

kisses,

ariel