Miguel Solano had been living in New York City for about a year when he first visited Magnolia Bakery. He ordered a cupcake, but his friend insisted that he try the famous banana pudding. “It was the best decision ever,” remembers Solano. The former Complexions Contemporary Ballet dancer, now an artistic associate and répétiteur at the company, returned to the dish during the pandemic. He was living with his family in Colombia and decided to expand on his love of cooking. “Every week on Sunday we would have a family meal, and I would make dessert,” he says. “I started a trend on my social media where I would post the ingredients, and ask people what they thought I was making. It lasted for about 10 months.”
Banana pudding was one of Solano’s first explorations. At first, he made everything from scratch, including the cookies and the pudding. After tinkering with his recipe over time, he realized he could make a simpler version by using some premade ingredients. “It’s such an easy dessert, because it doesn’t require too much [active] time,” says Solano. “It’s such a delicious recipe. Everybody loves it!”
Cooking as Meditation
Solano learned to cook from his mom. Once he started dancing full-time, his time in the kitchen became more deliberate. “I’m very intentional with each ingredient, because I love food,” says Solano. “Being in the kitchen is kind of like meditation.” Solano uses cooking as a chance to disconnect: He doesn’t play music, and avoids his phone and computer unless he needs to look up a recipe. “Especially when I’m baking, I think about how it’s science. It’s all about playing with temperature and flavor,” says Solano. “I feel like I’m in my own lab when I cook.”
Ingredients
Chocolate variation: Substitute chocolate pudding mix for vanilla pudding mix and Oreos for Nilla Wafers.
- 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 3.4-oz box instant vanilla pudding mix (“Jell-O brand is my favorite,” says Solano.)
- 1 1/2 cups ice water
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 3–4 ripe bananas, sliced in rounds
- 11-oz box mini Nilla Wafers. Reserve 10–12 cookies for finishing. (“If you can’t find the minis, choose any cookie that will soak up a little bit of the cream to give you a cake texture at the end,” says Solano.)
Directions
- In a medium bowl, dissolve the pudding mix with 1 1/2 cups ice water. Whisk until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate to let set for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Using an electric mixer, whisk the heavy cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. It will be easiest if the cream is very cold. (“If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can whisk by hand and get a workout,” notes Solano.)
- Remove the pudding from the fridge, and lightly stir to break it up. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the pudding into the whipped cream until it’s combined but still airy.
- Choose whether you’d like to assemble the pudding in a Pyrex or baking dish, or in individual bowls or jam jars. Start with a thin layer of the pudding-cream mixture, then add a layer of sliced bananas, and a layer of cookies. (“You can crumble a few of the cookies to add different textures, says Solano.) Repeat the process at least two more times, reserving 10–12 cookies. Cover pudding tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (“It’s best to assemble it the day you are going to serve it,” says Solano.)
- Once you’re ready to serve the dish, add the remaining cookies in any design you’d like for an added crunch. Voilà!
