BANANA PUDDING

Serves: about 20


INGREDIENTS
500ml skim or full cream milk
200ml sweetened condensed milk
100g instant vanilla pudding mix (I use Cottee’s)
600ml thickened cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 batch homemade vanilla wafers
4 barely ripe banana, peeled & thinly sliced

METHOD
Step 1 In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together the skim milk and sweetened condensed milk until well combined.
Step 2 Add the pudding mix and beat for about 2 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened. Cover and refrigerate for 4–6 hours. It’s important to allow enough time for the pudding mixture to fully set, otherwise it will remain too runny.
Step 3 In a separate large bowl, whip the thickened cream and vanilla essence until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled pudding mixture until fully combined and no streaks remain.
Step 4 You can assemble the dessert in individual serving glasses or in 4 quart glass bowl. A 9x13-inch baking dish also works well.
Step 5 Arrange one-quarter of the vanilla wafers over the bottom of the dish. Top with one-quarter of the sliced bananas, followed by one-quarter of the pudding mixture. Repeat the layers three more times. Garnish the top with extra vanilla wafers or wafer crumbs if desired. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. For best results, serve within 8 hours, as the bananas will begin to brown over time.