Architects with an Appetite: JLA's Rafeeq Asad

Architects with an Appetite: Rafeeq Asad

Rafeeq Asad, JLA’s Vice President and Director of Team Development, is known around the halls of JLA for his home-cooked specialties. He’s not usually one to share his secrets, but we wore him down enough to share one. Read on for his Banana Pudding recipe.

Tell us the story behind the recipe.

Rafeeq: Growing up, banana pudding was a cherished family favorite. My grandma would craft it from scratch, whisking the ingredients together and warming it on the stove. This dessert was a staple at large family gatherings, so it’s nostalgic for me. As time has passed, the dessert has evolved, embracing modern conveniences like instant pudding. As a kid, the dessert was vanilla wafers and ripe bananas and now it has transformed into a more sophisticated treat, adorned with chessman (fancy) cookies. Paula Dean also came out with a very simple recipe called “Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding”, that I now loosely base my recipe off of. 

I find myself using this as a ‘go-to’ dessert for large gatherings. It is very rich, so a little goes a long way.

Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12-oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream
  • 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups milk (or 1 ½ cup milk and ½ cup rumchatta)
  • 1 (5-oz) box instant French vanilla pudding mix
  • 6 to 8 bananas, sliced
  • 2 bags chessmen cookies

Directions:

Line the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

How have you made the recipe your own?

Rafeeq: As a ‘foodie’, I am always experimenting in the kitchen, tweaking recipes or adding something extra to make them my own. Sometimes I add a splash of RumChata for flavor. Banana flavoring can be overpowering, so I pile in more cookies than bananas, creating a satisfying crunch with each bite. While traditional recipes call for French vanilla pudding, I like to elevate it by blending vanilla and cheesecake puddings, resulting in a balance of flavors.

Final question, is there a favorite dish or recipe you have enjoyed from another JLA team member (or one you are hoping to try)?

Rafeeq: Joe Lee made a pumpkin dessert for an office event many years ago that was so good!  He hasn’t made it since, but I keep asking for it (and hoping) anytime we have a team potluck.

About Architects with an Appetite

Food is a universal language that connects us. It can tell a story, evoke a memory, or simply comfort us. The Architects with an Appetite blog series is designed to showcase our team and share our recipes and the stories behind them. Chili Competitions, Dip Offs, and potlucks are commonplace in the JLA offices, and it’s no secret around the ‘halls’  that our team members love to share and swap recipes— we’ve even toyed with the idea of a JLA Cookbook.  So we thought, why not share some of our favorite recipes with you?  We hope you enjoy them! 

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