The Ultimate Banoffee Pie

Intro: The Ultimate Banoffee Pie

I adore Banoffee Pie. Being American, I'd never had it until I met my British husband. It's his all time favourite, so I thought I'd try to make it. Over the years I've tweaked the recipe. It's an ongoing process. You can make your own caramel, but for the sake of ease, I buy mine in a jar. It's lovely, and if it's good enough for Jamie Oliver, it's good enough for me.

You will need the following...

Ingredients:

• 1 jar of Merchant Gourmet Dulce de Leche caramel
• 150g/5 oz digestive biscuits, crushed
• 50g light brown or granulated sugar
• 3 large bananas, sliced
• 250ml/10oz double cream
• 75g/3oz butter, melted
• 230g/8oz pecans, chopped
• Icing sugar
• Small bar of chocolate (I used Green and Blacks Butterscotch milk choc bar, about 35g)

Tools:

• Chopping Board
• Sharp knife
• Mixing bowl and spoon
• Small/medium Ziplock bag
• Wooden spoon or mallet or shoe.
• Springform pan, about 9in or 21cm in diameter. (it can be bigger, but pie will be thinner)

STEP 1: Preparing the Crust

• In a Ziplock bag, place 150g of biscuits of your choice, the tastier, the better. I planned on using just hobnobs, but saw the Tesco all butter pecan cookies. So I used about 5 hobnobs and 5 pecan cookies. Seal the bag, duh. Proceed to smash and bash bag with wooden spoon or mallet until cookies are crushed.
• Next, place half the chopped pecans (115g) in a bowl and add some sugar until the mixture resembles my picture. I think its about 50g.
• Add the cookie crumbs to the nut mixture.
• Melt 75g of butter in microwave for about 30 secs. up to a minute.
• Pour butter over nut mixture and stir thoroughly. After making this, I think I'd use slightly less butter next time, but experiment. Don't pour it all in at once. Mix a little in until the crumbs really hold together, and that should be about right.
• Butter the bottom and sides of your pan.
• Press mixture into pan. Chill.
• Meanwhile, take the 115 g of pecans that are left and get damp with water. Then cover with icing sugar. Bake at 180c or 350f (gas mark 4?) until it caramelizes. It didn't brown as much as I thought it would, but it tasted great, so if you want them more brown, I suggest googling to find a better caramelized nut recipe.
• Put caramelized nuts in freezer to cool.

STEP 2: Making the Pie Filling

This is the easy peasy bit...

• Chop the (3 large) bananas and put them into a bowl.


• Add the whole jar of caramel to the bananas. Mmm... Mix it up.
• Using a butter knife, loosen the edges of the chilled pie crust from the edges of the pan, as it will really help you cut slices later.
• Spread it over the pie crust. The best thing about this method is that you dont see a mangy-brown-banana layer like in some pies.

STEP 3: The Finishing Touches

• Whip 250ml of double cream until it has soft peaks, so when you lift your whisk out, the cream has a little 'wave' which holds, but folds at the top a little.
• Spread the cream over the pie, and make it pretty.
• Grate chocolate into fine pieces. As you can see in the photo, I added a paper towel to the bottom of the grater so my fingers wouldnt melt the chocolate before I could put it on the pie.
• Get caramelized nuts from freezer and arrange on pie.
• Sprinkle grated chocolate on pie.
• Chill and enjoy.

This pie keeps for ages. It tastes better if you let it sit a day before eating, as the flavours merge. It took us a week to eat, as it's SO rich.

You could also try making this in a large muffin tin, lining the tin with cling film, pressing the crust up the sides as well, to make individual pies that lift out.

I hope you like it!

Comments

[edevoto]

I made this, too - and I'm also an American living in Britain with a British fella - but I really just threw it together... yours sounds amazing!

[CamWaite]

Hey Xrissy, This looks awesome! Just asking for your permission to post a vegan version of this?

[maltesergr8]

If only we had these ingredients here in the US... might have to ask my mum-in-law if she can load up her suitcase on her next visit!! I'm American, married a Brit & have to say my husband introduced me to the BEST desserts on this planet!!!

[D.L.H.]

Delicious looking pie.

[tim_n]

I saw this being made on a channel 4 programme come dine with me. In that the guy put a layer of caramel down, layered bananas on top then cream on top of that. Looked fantastic and a definite must for my next dinner party.

[xrissy]

I found that when I have a slice of banoffee pie where they've layered the banana, the banana always goes brown... and even though you know it's gonna taste great, there's something slightly unappetizing about brown bananas. :OP I think if you serve it straight away, it won't have time to go brown. Make it either way, will taste the same. Have a great dinner party!

[Joe Martin]

He cheated though lol, He used banana yoghurt and ready whipped cream! I love come dine with me!

[=SMART=]

MMMmmmmm I love banoffee pie ! That looks Delicious !

[PKTraceur]

:O====

*ahhhh gurgle drooooooooooool*
Hu-Huh? Oh I was just admiring yu-
*droool*

:)

-PKT

[Joe Martin]

My favourite dessert! 5*