Banoffee Pie

Is everyone sure that the “offee” in Banoffee does not stand for coffee? This childhood misconception of mine held me back from ever ordering a slice of this pie. I only discovered this revelation last year when my dad told me to make one and I replied “but I don’t want to make something with coffee…”, and he just sat there confused for a solid three seconds. I hold a great resentment against my parents for never clarifying what makes up this indulgent confection and keeping me from tasting it sooner.

This renowned English pie is composed of a buttery crust, ripe bananas, lusciously dense toffee and light whipped cream. All these layers balance each other flawlessly, so by the end of eating an entire slice, you will not feel a deep heaviness in your stomach weighing your entire being down unlike the sensation you bear after devouring other pies.

The task of preparing a Banoffee Pie may be daunting, but the reality is the total opposite. It is hard to commit a mistake when making this pie because you can always cover up a mistake with the next layer, and it requires no overly-resplendent garnishes only professionals can create. So, you now have the perfect dazzling dessert to bring to your next family gathering and to impress all of your relatives with.

Recipe

Yields 8-10 servings

~ Ingredients ~

270 grams or 7 packs graham crackers, crushed

90 grams or 6 tablespoons butter

5-6 ripe bananas

Juice of half a lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cans or 585 grams dulce de leche

1.5 cups or 375 mL all-purpose cream

½ cup powdered sugar

75 grams dark chocolate, grated

~ Procedure ~

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.

• Melt the butter and mix it with the crushed graham crackers.

• Place the crust mixture into a 9” springform pan and use a tamper or spatula to pack it down firmly.

• Bake this for 10 minutes then let it cool.

• Using an electric stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks begin to form. Chill the whipped cream once done.

• Peel and slice the banana and place them all in a bowl.

• Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract into the bananas and coat each banana in the mixture to prevent oxidation.

• To assemble, layer banana slice, dulce de leche and cream on top of the crust. Chill the pie for at least 3 hours.

• Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top of the pie, serve chilled and enjoy!