Gran's Banana Pudding with Meringue

This pudding is made of layered vanilla wafers and slices of banana, covered in a slightly toasted meringue.It can be served cold, room temperature, or hot. Its been a family favorite since my grandmother started to make it at Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas a couple years back.

Source: Margie G (Grandmother)

Prep Time: 26 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes or until the top is browned)
Total Time: 34 minutes

Servings: half a dozen

Ingredients
2 boxes of vanilla instant pudding mix
Four cups of milk
1 1/2 box of vanilla wafers (give or take)
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 bananas (give or take, depending on size of baking dish)

Equipment
Two mixing bowls
A glass, transparent baking dish
Electric mixer

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Combine milk and pudding mix in one of the mixing bowls. Stir until there are no lumps, and the mixture starts to thicken.
  3. Ungreased, layer cookies on the bottom of the bake dish until a single layer covers the bottom
  4. Cut the bananas into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces and layer over cookies.
  5. Take a third of pudding and put over bananas in globs, spreading them out to spare it so you won't have to make more pudding
  6. Continue this layering until you reach the top
  7. Put the egg whites in one of the mixing bowls and whisk with the mixer until frothy
  8. Add sugar and mix until you have stiff peaks
  9. Spread this on top of pudding, using your utensil to make peaks in the meringue
  10. Place in the oven and cook until the top is golden brown
  11. Remove from oven and serve

Notes
You have to babysit it while its in the oven. You don't want to burn it, so 18 minutes might be too much in your oven.
Serving it hot is not required. You can put it in the fridge to cool, or serve it at room temperature.
If you don't have time to make the meringue, you can use store bought whipped cream.

Memory
My grandmother grew up in a small, old fashioned town in Kentucky. She always told me about how even though she didn't always have enough money, she enjoyed life. Sweet treats were not common in her house, and sometimes during the holidays her father would go into the town nearby and buy vanilla cookies. Her mother would make custard with fresh eggs from her family's chickens, and milk from the neighbor's cow. I've been eating it ever since I was little, and seeing this dessert on the table always make me think purely of the holidays.