Chemberly Pecze, cookbook team captain of the Junior League of Raleigh, suggests that recipe testing is as much about courtesy as quality control. When the League published its latest cookbook, You’re Invited Back: A Second Helping of Raleigh’s Favorite Recipes, the cookbook team prepared and tasted every recipe submitted before deciding which ones to print.
Banana Pudding
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers
- 5 or 6 ripe bananas, sliced
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ cup sugar
Mix ½ cup sugar with flour and salt in a double boiler. Add egg and egg yolks. Stir in milk. Cook over boiling water until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Alternate layers of the pudding, vanilla wafers, and bananas in a 1½-quart baking dish until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of pudding. Preheat oven to 425˚. Beat egg whites in a mixing bowl until frothy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over the pudding. Bake for 5 minutes. Yields 8 servings.