Recipe: World's Best Banana Pudding by Beverly Keel (with pineapple variation)

June, my mama makes a mean from-scratch banana pudding, but since you mentioned pineapple, I thought of this one from one of our local colorful cooks. With the egg yolks and evaporated milk, it will definitely have the rich taste you're looking for. You can probably substitute cornstarch for the flour. Until your aunt transcribes her recipe for you, here's one that sounds like the real McCoy. You can cut calories somewhere else.

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Thanks to frequent appearances on the television shows Ellen and The Food Network's Emeril Live, Smith, 70, has become as popular for serving up each dish with a side of sass and love as she has for her cheddar burgers, red velvet cake and made-from-scratch dressing. Until her culinary achievements made headlines, her greatest fame was for coining the term "outlaw" to describe the 1970s musical movement that emerged out of Nashville, Tenn., and included Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. During the "good ol' days," she never knew who would drop by for dinner. Singers Keith Whitley, Tompall Glaser, and Waylon Jennings and wife Jessi Colter were among those who enjoyed her hospitality.The late bluegrass legend Bill Monroe loved her coconut pie, late songwriter Harlan Howard couldn't resist her macaroni and cheese, and singer Ricky Skaggs eats her collard greens right out of the pot. The late author Shel Silverstein dubbed her now-famous dessert "The World's Best Banana Pudding."

WORLD'S BEST BANANA PUDDING
Cooking With Sass by Beverly Keel

1 and 1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 and 1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 or 4 bananas
3/4 box vanilla wafers
Couple sprinkles of cream of tartar

Mix sugar and flour in a saucepan.

Separate eggs. Stir yolks with a fork until blended. Add milk in same cup as egg yolks. Slowly stir egg/milk mixture into sugar/flour mixture until well blended. Put saucepan on low heat and allow to cook until a custard forms and thickens. Stir it a time or two. Remove thickened custard from heat, add butter and allow to melt. Cool. Add vanilla flavoring.

While allowing custard to cool, line a quart-size Pyrex dish, measuring 9-by-5-by-2 inches, with three layers of vanilla wafers and three layers of bananas. Pour cool custard over wafers and bananas.

Add a couple of sprinkles of cream of tartar to the egg whites. Using an electric mixer, beat until frothy. Continue beating and add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spread on top.

Bake at 375 degrees in a pre-heated oven for 10 to 15 minutues or until brown. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*Substitute a large can of drained, crushed pineapple for the bananas to make pineapple pudding, which is equally as good.