Southern Banana Pudding vs Cannelés de Bordeaux: Caramelized Rum and Vanilla Pastries

Both desserts rely on milk, butter and eggs, but put them to very different work. The banana pudding cooks milk and egg yolks into a flour-thickened stovetop custard finished with butter and vanilla, layers it warm with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, then tops it with a baked meringue from the reserved whites, or alternatively whipped cream, before chilling. The cannelés turn the same staples into a rum- and vanilla-scented batter that rests for hours before a long bake in well-buttered molds, emerging with a deep mahogany crust that crisps as they cool.