Grandma's Banana Fruit Pudding Recipe
Fruit cocktail adds flavor to the homemade pudding and the banana mixture in this classic old-fashioned recipe.
SERVES ► 8
- 1 (15-ounce) can fruit cocktail
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies
- 1 large banana
- ⅓ cup toffee bits
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Drain fruit cocktail, reserving juice. Place fruit in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
In medium saucepan, combine 1 cup reserved fruit juice, ¾ cup sugar, flour, salt, and egg yolks and beat well.
Gradually add milk to saucepan, stirring until combined.
Cook pudding over medium heat until mixture thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 8 minutes.
Remove pudding from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
Put a layer of vanilla wafer cookies in the bottom of prepared baking dish.
Slice banana and combine with reserved fruit and toffee bits in small bowl. Spoon half of banana mixture over cookies in dish.
Top with half of pudding mixture; repeat layers, ending with pudding. Refrigerate while preparing meringue.
In medium bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff peaks form.
Top pudding with meringue mixture, spreading to cover and sealing meringue to sides of dish.
Bake for 15–20 minutes or until meringue is browned.
Remove from oven and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
Meringues
For the best meringue, be sure to beat the egg white and sugar mixture until the sugar completely dissolves. With this much sugar, it's difficult to overbeat the egg whites. Place on top of the dessert and gently spread with the back of a spoon, being sure to seal the meringue to the edge of the dish or pan to prevent shrinking.
