Southern Banana Pudding

Ingredients

Custard:

2½ cups golden sugar

3 tablespoons All-Purpose flour

6 extra large eggs, room temperature & separated

1 3/4 cups evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups cold water

2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon extract

2 boxes Nilla Wafers cookies

12 bananas, peeled & thinly sliced

Meringue:

1 cup golden sugar

6 large egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Custard:

Mix together sugar and flour in a small bowl; add egg yolks to sugar-flour mixture; stir until smooth.
Pour milk and water in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar-egg mixture to milk and heat on medium until the milk is warm not boiling.
Continue stirring custard until it thickens. The custard is ready when it sticks to the back of the spoon; this should take 20-30 minutes. (lumps will occur if you stop stirring).
Remove custard from stove; add vanilla and lemon extracts and continue stirring until smooth. Let the custard cool.
Add a little more sugar (3tbs.) and milk (3tbs.) if custard becomes too thick while cooling.
Using a large 9”x13” baking dish, spread a layer of cookies on the bottom of the dish.
Add sliced bananas on each of the cookies; repeat cookie-banana layers until baking dish is full, making sure to end with cookies.
Line cookies all around the sides of the baking dish, letting the flat side face against the glass dish.
Pour & spread cooled custard over cookies and bananas, covering the dish.

Meringue:

Preheat oven to broil. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites for approximately 5-7 minutes while gradually adding the sugar.
Beat egg whites until stiff, (should be stiff with a Cool Whip consistency).
Cover banana pudding with meringue and broil for 2-3 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.