We had the privilege of hosting some dear friends from out of town this weekend. We gathered up a few of their friends and were able to catch up with each other while sharing a meal. Within our gathering we had four August birthdays! This called for an extra special dessert and I had seen these beauties on the cover of a magazine while strolling the aisles at Sam’s. (When I went back to look at it again, somebody had torn the recipe out of the first magazine I picked up! Can you believe it?!) I got the general idea and used my own recipes. They were a hit!
Banana Pudding in a Jar
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
vanilla wafers
bananas
Separate eggs and put yolks in big bowl. (I use an eight cup measuring bowl with a handle and pour spout.) With wire whip beat eggs. Add sugar, cornstarch, salt and a little of the milk to make a paste. When smooth, add rest of milk. Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir with wire whip. Microwave two more minutes. Stir with wire whip. Microwave two more minutes. At the this point your mixture should be pretty thick. Add two tablespoons butter and two teaspoons of vanilla and whip until smooth.
Put two vanilla wafers and two slices of banana in the bottom of six eight ounce jars. Pour pudding over bananas and wafers until jar is a little less than half full. Put two more vanilla wafers and two slices of banana and fill until about one-half inch below the top of the jars.
Meringue
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon crem of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar or 8 tablespoons powdered sugar
Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla until soft peeks form. Add sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Place filled jars on cookie sheet. Pile stiff meringue on top. Bake at 325 degrees for about fifteen minutes or until brown.
Enjoy!
House on Oak Street 