I first became
acquainted with Banoffee Pie during a trip to Scotland over ten years ago. Our perky waitress asked us what we would
like for dessert and I inquired as to the house specialty. Without missing a beat she said Banoffee
Pie. When I asked if this was a combination
of Banana and Coffee, she indulgently informed me that it was Banana and Toffee.
Ooh, toffee. I’ll have a slice! I have been obsessed with this luscious
dessert ever since, but years would pass before I located a recipe that could
be made here in the States. Canned
toffee just isn’t readily available here, and I had no idea that it could be
made by simply boiling a can of sweetened condensed milk.
Once I learned of
this process I was raring to go, until I was informed of the possibility of the can
exploding and splattering the kitchen with a sticky toffee mixture that would
challenge even the most seasoned members of a crime scene clean up team. But I’ve mellowed over the years, or perhaps
become more intrepid (read: foolish) in my old age, and decided to give it a
try. Actually it was very easy and
nothing at all to worry about.
I used a
BIG stock pot, boiled two cans at once (one for now and one for later), covered
them over the top with an inch and a half of water, set the timer every 30 minutes to
keep a careful watch on them, and boiled them at a low boil for 2-1/2 hours. I didn’t
need to add water once, but did anyway, just be to on the safe side.
The result was a can of thick, delicious toffee.
The pie itself is easy to
make. Essentially it is sliced bananas covered
with creamy toffee in a graham cracker crust topped with whipped cream.
Below are the proportions along with a crust
recipe in case you don’t have one handy.
Banoffee Pie
1 graham cracker
crust
3 bananas, sliced
1 can sweetened
condensed milk, boiled to form toffee
1-1/2 cups heavy
cream
1 tablespoon brown
sugar
Make graham cracker
crust per directions below. Arrange
banana slices on top of the crust. Don’t
get crazy cute with this, you’re just going to cover it up anyway. Open your carefully boiled can of sweetened
condensed milk and admire your brilliance at having made this creamy
toffee. If you have stored this in the
fridge, pour contents into a microwave safe bowl and warm it for 30 seconds at
a time, stirring between each 30 seconds until it becomes smooth and spreadable. Pour over bananas and spread to the
edge. In the work bowl of your stand
mixture and using the whisk attachment, whip cream until soft peaks form, add
sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
Spread over toffee and bananas.
Top with a dusting of cocoa, if desired.
Graham Cracker Crust
1-1/2 cups finely
ground graham crackers (I use one packet)
5 tablespoons melted
butter
1/3 cup granulated
sugar
Preheat oven to
375°F.
Stir together graham
cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter (I mix it all together in the work bowl of a
food processor). Press into the bottom
and up the sides of a 9” pie plate. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Cool.
Set aside.
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