Chef YvesPaul's Installment: Magnolia Bakery's Banana Bread Pudding

I made this about two months ago after tasting it in person and then recreating it from a recipe I found online. After sharing with friends, one of them requested that I share the recipe with her. I guess I'm a little selfish. Sometimes I regard the itty bitty recipes I found and modified, like treasured bits that magicians learned that makes their acts unique. And if I gave away my trade secrets, I will be very replaceable. So I was reluctant and put it off, but after being asked to do it again, I thought I might as well give it to my friends here as well. So here it is:

Magnolia Bakery's Banana Bread Pudding

1 (3 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix (French Vanilla/Vanilla/Banana)
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice cold water
2 teaspoons of rum
2 cups heavy cream
1 (12 oz) box of Nilla Wafers
4 sliced ripe bananas

Do not follow the instructions on the pudding box. In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the rum and the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate until set, it will take around 4 hours or overnight. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer - before serving.

Alternatively, you can assemble them the same way in individual containers. Bananas will go brown after prolonged refrigeration, so it is important to control the chilling time.