Good Ol’ Nanner Puddin’

It’s a Southern thing to shorten words to a delightful original speak that makes everything sound more endearing. We drop the g’s, we drawl the syllables, and we love things the way our granny said them. “Nanner puddin’” is one of those common delicacies that just sounds more authentically Southern than “banana pudding” ever could, even though it’s the same thing.

cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

4 cups evaporated milk, divided

4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

36 vanilla wafers

5 bananas, sliced

1 (16-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a small bowl combine the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and 1 cup of the milk. Bring the remaining 3 cups milk to a boil in a large saucepan and add the sugar mixture. Stir constantly over medium heat as the custard thickens. Reduce the heat and add the butter and vanilla. When the pudding is thick, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. In a large dessert bowl or clear compote bowl, layer the vanilla wafers, bananas, and pudding, repeating the layers in that order until all the pudding is used. Top with the whipped topping, cover, and chill the pudding before serving. An interesting twist is to use chocolate chip cookies instead of vanilla wafers for “chocolate chip” banana pudding.

Makes 6 to 8 servings