Central Market Recipes

THE BEST BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Bring the milk to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, vanilla paste and salt together in a medium bowl.
• While whisking, slowly add about 1 cup of the warm milk to the egg mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
• Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• Arrange 19 wafer cookies in the bottom of a 4-quart trifle dish. Top with 1 cup pudding, then arrange 2 sliced bananas on top. Repeat the layers ending with bananas.
• Add the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar and a pinch of salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Spread the whipped cream over the pudding and sprinkle the crushed wafer cookies around the border. Refrigerate until the pudding is firm, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

PERFECT MUFFALETTA BREAD

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl, then add the salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl. Stir each one in with your finger. Be careful not to let the salt touch the yeast directly, as it can kill or stunt the yeast.
• Add the sugar, oil, and half of the water. Stir with your hand until the mixture begins to come together. Keep stirring and gradually add more water until all the flour is picked up and a sticky dough forms.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until it's no longer sticky and passes the windowpane test. Check it by stretching a lump of dough between the thumb and forefinger of each hand. If it's translucent in places without breaking, it's been kneaded enough. If it breaks, knead a minute longer and check again.
• Pour about 2 teaspoons of olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and turn it in the oil to coat, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it prove at room temperature until at least doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down with your fists to get rid of the air pockets.
• Place it on a large, lightly floured baking stone or cookie sheet. Shape it into a flat disc about 9 inches in diameter.
• Spritz the top of the loaf with a little water and rub it into the surface. Sprinkle about two tablespoons of sesame seeds onto the top of the loaf and gently press them into the dough.
• Loosely cover the loaf with a piece of plastic wrap, and let it prove at room temperature until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. Once it's proved, it should spring back quickly when gently prodded with a fingertip.
• About 10 minutes before the loaf is done proving, preheat the oven to 425 F.
• Remove the plastic wrap and bake the proved loaf at 425 F for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 400 F and bake for another 15 minutes, until the loaf is a rich golden brown and has an internal temperature of 200 F.
• Let the loaf cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before slicing.