Maya Angelou's Banana Pudding

Overripe bananas on the kitchen counter.

There are more than a few brown spots, and the yellow fruit is simply past the point of peel-and-eat. The inside is a little mushy and the taste intensified. This is because as bananas ripen the starch in the fruit turns to sugar.

This recipe puts those very ripe bananas (or perfectly yellow bananas) to good use.

Originally found in an Oprah magazine, this recipe is also listed on the Oprah website as a celebrity favorite. It was created by Maya Angelou and is described as her "highly superior banana sweet".

You have to, have to, have to like banana to enjoy this dessert. As long as you do, you're in for a hearty treat!

Banana Pudding - from Oprah.com and the January '06 issue of O Magazine (slightly modified)

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespon sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

Pinch salt

3 cups milk

8 eggs, separated

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

3 cups vanilla wafers

4 ripe bananas, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

• Note: we halved the recipe and it was plenty!
• In large pot, stir together 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in milk. Cook over medium heat - keep stirring! Milk burns easily and will stick to the bottom of the pot... keep stirring until thickened mixture boils. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. This is your custard.
• In bowl, whisk egg yolks together. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot custard. Pour this mixture into the pot and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes... keep stirring. Add butter and vanilla. Stir.
• Cover bottom of shallow casserole dish with vanilla wafers. Cover with half of the banana slices, and then a layer of half the warm custard. Repeat these layers.
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites and sugar together until frothy. Add cream of tartar. Gradually beat in the sugar you didn't use in the custard. Continue beating until still peaks form in the egg whites. This is your meringue.
• Spoon the meringue over custard. To stop it from shrinking while in the oven, make sure it touches the casserole dish on all sides.
• Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 20 minutes, or until golden.
• Let cool for one hour.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.... As Maya Angelou says, "All great achievements require time."

Vanilla wafers meet bananas.

The custard spooned over the vanilla wafer crust.

Stiff peaks in the egg whites.

Meringue can be more difficult on humid days.

The stiff peaks hold up well in the heat.

Golden brown...

it looks almost like a giant toasted marshmallow.