Since Ray and I don’t eat refined sugar, I am often modifying refined sugar recipes to accommodate honey, maple syrup or agave syrup alternatives. A tried-and-true recipe that I have perfected over the years is my honey or agave-sweetened banana cream pie, which is a family favorite. However, when Ray recently bought a honey-sweetened lemon cookie with a similar consistency to vanilla wafers (a key ingredient in banana pudding), he and I both thought the lemon cookies might be a great base for an alternative to the refined sugar version of banana pudding. Plus, yesterday, I happened on a copy of Maya Angelou’s book that features recipes and short memoir pieces and stumbled upon her family recipe for banana pudding. This one featured the usual vanilla wafers, but also included a browned meringue topping. Next thing I knew, I was pulling out my cooking pans.

Today, I made the usual custard base for my agave-sweetened banana cream pie, but this time, instead of a pie crust, I decided to line the base of my 8x8x2 casserole dish with the lemon cookies Ray had found online. I also went one step further, which was to find and follow an agave-sweetened meringue recipe to top the pie. (I mean, if Maya Anglelou’s family loved their meringue-covered banana pudding to the point that she included the recipe in her book, then I felt certain I’d love it too.

The meringue required heating the agave in a saucepan to 240 degrees, which requires owning a candy thermometer, which I just happened to have. Also, luckily, I have a heavy duty Kitchen Aid mixer to whip up those egg whites to be tall and pretty before and after adding that hot agave syrup along the side of the mixing bowl. The bottom line is that for the first time in my baking life, I made an alternative sweetened meringue and it turned out perfectly.

My hard-won effort is cooling at the moment before going into the fridge for several hours to chill. Hopefully, it will taste as good as it looks. I will admit to taking a few tiny bites of both the custard and the finished meringue and I can report they were both quite tasty.

Below is the recipe for the custard and also for the meringue just in case there are others out there who might be interested in a banana pudding or pie made from agave and/or honey. If you tasted it, I believe you’d be hard-pressed to tell it’s not made with refined sugar, especially since I like to use light agave syrup for recipes like this.

I am excited. Now, I’m thinking I might make agave-sweetened meringue cookies for Christmas. I haven’t had one of those in a very long time and would enjoy giving it a taste. I suspect it would be quite a treat.

Here are the recipes:

Honey-Sweetened Banana Cream Pudding for 6 – 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 cup honey
• 6 tablespoons corn starch
• 3 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 teaspoons butter or 1 1/3 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 -5 bananas

Separate egg yolks into small bowl, stir to break yolks and set aside. In sauce pan whisk honey, cornstarch and milk together. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until boiling. Turn down heat and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1 spoonful at a time of the pudding mixture to the egg yolk, mixing completely between each addition. When egg yolk mixture is warm add it to sauce pan. Return to heat and stir constantly until it boils one minute.

Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.

Cool until lukewarm.

Slice bananas into the bottom of a bowl. Pour warm pudding over.

Italian Meringue Steps

1. Prepare Egg Whites: In the clean, grease-free bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
2. Heat the Agave: In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the agave nectar until it reaches exactly 240°F on a digital candy thermometer. Do not stir once the mixture comes to a boil, but you may brush down the sides of the pan with water to prevent crystallization.
3. Combine: With the mixer running on medium to high speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot agave syrup into the egg whites in a steady stream between the side of the bowl and the beater.
4. Whip to Stiff Peaks: Continue to whip the mixture on high speed until it forms stiff, glossy peaks and the meringue has cooled to room temperature, about 5-10 minutes. 

Top the banana pudding mixture with the meringue and the put in 350 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown