Southern-Style Baked Banana Pudding
You'll love this baked banana pudding, especially if you like banana cream pie. Not only is there no pie crust to mess with, but I think the vanilla wafer cookies pair even more perfectly with the fruit and custardy pudding. We want the bananas to match the texture of the custard-soaked cookies, so make sure you buy them a week beforehand. Other than that, not much can go wrong with this simple Southern classic.
eggs
4
large
white sugar
½
cup
salt
¼
teaspoon
all-purpose flour
⅓
cup
all-purpose flour
1
tablespoon
milk
2
cups
banana liqueur (Optional)
1
tablespoon
vanilla extract
½
teaspoon
cold butter
1
tablespoon
very ripe bananas, or more to taste, sliced
3
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 ½
teaspoons
miniature vanilla wafers
1
(12 ounce) package
cream of tartar
⅛
teaspoon
white sugar
2
tablespoons
 Separate eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks into a saucepan.
  Prepare the custard: Add sugar, salt, and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour to the yolks. Splash in about 1/4 of the milk and start blending mixture with a whisk. Pour in remaining milk and whisk until smooth.
  Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until hot to the touch, occasionally dipping your finger in to test. Whisk constantly until custard is thick enough to form ribbons.
  Remove custard from heat and add banana liqueur, vanilla, then cold butter. Whisk until butter dissolves. Set custard aside.
  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  Begin to assemble the pudding: Toss banana slices with lemon juice.
  Spread 1/4 of the custard over the bottom of a baking dish. Add a single layer of vanilla wafers. Cover with 1/2 of the bananas and spread 1/2 of the remaining custard on top. Add another layer of vanilla wafers, using slightly fewer this time. Top with remaining bananas and custard. Smooth the top and tap dish against the counter to settle the pudding.
  Make the meringue topping: Add cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat using the whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Spread meringue over the pudding using a soft spatula, creating ridges for contrast.
  Bake in the preheated oven until meringue is nicely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.
