Spring Forward, Do Your Thing: Banana Crunch Pudding

This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous. It was heartening to see the entire city out and about. Whether they were jogging along the bay, perusing the farmer’s market, or walking their dogs, everyone was out doing their thing, and so of course I was doing mine. Cue the following:

We did lose an hour yesterday, and losing time is never fun. In a city like San Francisco, there is always something to do and to explore, and being the anxious person that I am, there never seems to be enough time to do everything. There are restaurants to eat at, people to meet up with, and packing to be done (seriously, I need to do this soon). It is scary to think that there might not be enough time to do any of these things, and it’s even scarier to think how the future is going to turn out if said things aren’t accomplished. Now, obviously most of these things are innocuous and will not contribute to the end the world, but fear isn’t always rational.

It is worth remembering that today was once the future. No matter how much time I may have lost or fears I may have had, things turn out okay as long as I continue to do my thing. And I bring that to you today in the form of banana pudding.

First off, I freaking love bananas (there’s a bad joke in there somewhere; I’ll let you come up with one). They can never really be old, because as soon as they are, you can turn them into something new again. While banana bread is a staple recipe, I thought I’d mix it up a little and spring forward into something new – pudding! It doesn’t look the prettiest because of the bananas’ oxidation, but it tastes sweet and creamy, especially with a topping of honey-candied cornflakes. You can find that recipe here and substitute the sugar for 2 Tbsp honey instead. Same deal, new deliciousness.

I’ll be traveling to SXSW music this week, so I’ll try to squeeze in a recipe before I leave. There are many eats to be had in Austin, though, so wish me luck in mentally and gastronomically preparing!

Spring is in the air.

Banana Puddings with Cornflake Crunch

2-3 bananas, mashed and measured to around 1 cup
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
Cornflake crunch, for topping

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine bananas, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a saucepan and whisk until combined. Heat over medium until it starts to simmer.
• Cook for 5 minutes longer until the mixture is thickened. Reduce heat to low and whisk in milk, cream, and vanilla. Turn off heat completely and slowly whisk in the egg, taking care to not cook it.
• Divide mixture into ovenproof ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until puddings barely jiggle when baking sheet is moved.
• Let puddings cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with honey-cornflake mixture upon serving.