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Shavuot, which begins at sunset on June 11, means that dairy is on the menu. Here is a decadent dessert to help you celebrate.
Blintzes Baked in Banana Custard — inspired by a friend’s description of her recipe — features a rich but slightly tangy custard, plenty of bananas, vanilla cookies and store-bought, frozen cheese blintzes.
This recipe is great for Shavuot, as well for dessert or brunch all year long.
Two notes: Vanilla cookies vary in size, so you may need more or less than 6 ounces. And if you want to make your own blintzes, try my recipe here.
Blintzes Baked in Banana Custard
Serves 8 for brunch or 12-16 for dessert
- 5 ripe, unpeeled, medium-size bananas (7-8 inches long)
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 2 packages frozen cheese blintzes (13.5 oz. each)
- 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, divided
- About 6 oz. vanilla cookie thins or vanilla wafers, divided
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp. grated nutmeg
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup dried banana chips, optional
- Whipped cream or sour cream, optional
Peel and dice 1 banana. Add to milk in a medium pot. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Take off heat and let sit 1 hour or refrigerate up to 24 hours. The longer the bananas steep in milk, the stronger their flavor.
To assemble the dessert, cook the packaged blintzes according to manufacturer directions. (You should have a dozen 3-inch blintzes.) Set aside.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use half of the butter to grease bottom and sides of an 8-by-12-inch baking dish. (Note: This will be baked in a water bath to ensure even cooking, so make sure your baking dish fits inside a larger pan.) Line the bottom of greased baking dish with a single layer of cookies.
Peel 2 more bananas. Slice each into four long strips. Arrange in a single layer on top of cookies, parallel to the pan’s long edge, cutting to fit as needed.
Place blintzes in 2 rows of 6 each, perpendicular to banana slices.
For custard, reheat milk with bananas to a simmer. Place a strainer over large bowl. Use a large spoon to press banana solids through strainer and into milk. Scrape outside bottom of strainer if necessary and add to milk. Mix well. Discard solids left in strainer. Pour milk back into pot. Stir in vanilla.
Put eggs, cream cheese and sugar into bowl that milk was in and mix with electric mixer or immersion blender until smooth. Slowly add milk, mixing after each addition.
Pour over blintzes and sprinkle with nutmeg. Peel and slice 2 bananas into 4 long strips each. Place on top of custard as before. Dice and scatter remaining butter over bananas.
Boil a kettle of water. Place filled dish in larger pan. Place on oven rack. Carefully pour hot water in outer pan, taking care not to spill any inside the filled baking dish. Water should reach halfway up sides of inner dish. Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle brown sugar over custard. Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges are browned and beginning to pull away from pan sides. Custard is set when tip of a dinner knife inserted into custard layer comes out clean.
Remove baking dish and its water bath from oven. Let sit 10 minutes. Remove inner dish and place on wire rack. Let sit 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. You can also refrigerate it and serve chilled, or later rewarm it covered with foil in 350 degree oven.
Before serving, coarsely crumble remaining cookies (about 1 cup of crumbles) and banana chips. Sprinkle over dessert. Garnish with whipped cream or sour cream.