3 minute read
RANCH LIFE
VET VISITS AND BANANA PUDDING
STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARCY EPPERSON
Marcy Epperson lives with her family near Rocksprings where they raise grass fnished beef, sheep, goats and horses. See what’s going on at the ranch on Instagram @heritagebeef or @marcy_epperson and follow on Facebook @Heritage Beef to learn more about ranch life. I realize this title may sound totally incongruous. It is, except that on the rare occasion a veterinarian actually comes to the ranch (about once a year), I always – and I mean always – make banana pudding. It’s a tradition! Our vet and her crew drive a long way to get here, and this is something I can do to express our appreciation for their long day of hard work. While they tend to the animals, I make lunch. I sort of miss being at the barn during all the action, seeing what all goes on with the animals, but dinner must be cooked and that’s just how it is. When they all come in hot and sweaty, ready for gallons of iced tea, it’s worth it to me – I get plenty of barn and ranch time. Te vet spays our heifers, places special ear tags and brands in their ears so we know who’s spayed, floats the horses’ teeth (dental work for horses), draws the Coggins blood tests (a state law for horses traveling in Texas) and vaccinates all our dogs and cats against rabies. Sometimes a neighbor will even bring a pet that needs veterinary services. Te banana pudding tradition started years ago with one of those days of spaying heifers. I wanted not only to make a meal to feed the hungry crew, but serve a dessert I thought everyone would like. Plus, I had my own hankerin’ for banana pudding that day.
When I say banana pudding, I mean real banana pudding – said tongue in cheek because I make very old school, old fashioned banana pudding with a cooked custard and calf slobber. Calf slobber is how many an old rancher refers to meringue because it does, in fact, look exactly like calf slobber! I’ve discovered that many people don’t know this is the way it was originally made, nor have they ever tasted banana pudding prepared this way. Te revelation causes eyes to pop wide-open at the first taste, especially when served warm on a cold day. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
We like extra custard, so my recipe is basically a one-and-a-half version. When cooking, make sure to keep your whisk nearby, because it tends to clump at the bottom and you’ll want to be able to whisk it swiftly back to smoothness. My old family recipe calls for the yolks to be whisked in at the end for a silky, much smoother custard, however with all the textures going on in this dessert, it’s fine to put it all together at the beginning as the original recipe on the box of Nilla wafers directs.
RECIPE ~ BANANA PUDDING
*/(3&%*&/54 1 box Nilla wafers 2-3 ripe bananas (or more depending upon your taste) 'PSUIF$VTUBSE 3 cups milk (whole is best) 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup AP flour 5 eggs, separated (yolks whisked for custard, whites for meringue) 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 'PSUIF.FSJOHVF 5 egg whites 3/4 cup extra-fine granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt
%*3&$5*0/4 Create a bottom and side layer of wafers in a 9x12 oblong Pyrex or another suitable dish. Reserve remaining wafers for layering with pudding.
.",&5)&$645"3% Mix sugar and flour well in a heavy saucepan, then add all the other custard ingredients and whisk. Heat on medium, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Boil for one minute, remove from heat. Carefully pour a layer of custard over the wafers, slice bananas into to the custard. Repeat layers of bananas, pudding and wafers until all are used.
.",&5)&.&3*/(6& Beat egg whites, baking powder and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form – switch to high speed, adding sugar one table-spoon at a time, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Dollop onto pudding, spread to cover entirely, then use back of a spoon or spatula to form peaks. Bake at 375°F approximately 10 minutes or until meringue tips are golden. Enjoy warm or refrigerate and enjoy cold. 3FNFNCFSUP Sefrigerate BOZleftovers.
