¾ cup sugar (150 g)
2 tbsp. cornstarch (15g)
¼ tsp. salt (1g)
2 cups whole milk (500ml)
3 egg yolks or 1 whole egg
2 tbsp. butter (28g)
1 tbsp. vanilla (15ml)
2 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds
6–8 oz vanilla wafers (170g-227g)
Whipped cream (I prefer unsweetened)
4 extra vanilla wafers for garnish, crushed
Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2 qt. saucepan. Stir in the milk and place over a medium flame on the stove. Stirring constantly, cook the mixture until it is thick and bubbly. Once it is well thickened, cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly so the mixture does not scorch. Remove from heat.
Beat the egg yolks or whole eggs in a medium sized bowl until they are light and lemon colored. Whisk a spoonful of the hot pudding mixture into the egg yolks (or egg). Continue to add more until you have incorporated at least 1 cup of the hot mixture to the egg mixture. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan of the hot pudding mixture and stir well. Return to a medium flame and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and add butter and vanilla.
Pour 1/3 of the warm pudding mixture into a large serving bowl or individual serving dishes. Place a layer of bananas (1 banana) topped with a layer of vanilla wafers (1/2 of the wafers) on top of the warm pudding. Pour over another 1/3 of the warm pudding. Top the pudding with another layer of bananas and vanilla wafers and then spoon the last 1/3 of the warm pudding on top. Allow to cool completely.
When ready to serve, top with whipped cream and garnish with crushed vanilla wafers.
Egg yolks are slightly thicker than a whole egg, so you may end up with tiny lumps in your cooked pudding. Avoid the lumps by rapidly whisking in small amounts of egg yolk or straining out the lumps from the hot pudding with a mesh strainer.