Easiest Pie Ever

I don't know anyone who doesn't like Banoffee Pie.  It's not posh, it's not sophisticated, it's hugely sweet, but somehow It Just Works.  The weirdest thing is, I only had it for the first time ever a couple of years ago.  And that's weird, because whilst I do love spending Hours And Hours on ultra-fiddly sweeties, the truth is that even I don't want to do that every time I fancy dessert.  And this has got to be one of the easiest desserts around.

I almost didn't post this, because honestly there's so little to it, it's not original, and it wasn't complete perfection anyway.  The pastry recipe I used is probably not what I would use for this in future - something a bit lighter, sweeter and more biscuitty might be better.  I know some people use a biscuit base for banoffee, but I'm not a big fan of that.  I think a really good pastry is the go.

However.  There was one thing I did do that I haven't seen in any other Banoffee Pie recipe, and it was A Triumph.  Quite simply, instead of topping the pie with plain (or in some recipes, sweetened) whipped cream, I chose to give the pie a double banana hit by adding some to the cream.  It Was Awesome.

Also, I've recently discovered The Sweet Adventures Blog Hop, and I really wanted to join in this month.  And lo and behold, this month's theme (hosted by The Kitchen Crusader) is Pie.  And I had a jar of dulce de leche all ready to go in the fridge.

I figured it was fate...

By the way, I do apologise for the lack of useful ingredient quantities in this recipe.  It's really more of an assembly than a recipe, so there's a fair amount of room for personal preference...  Just make sure you have plenty of bananas (I would allow at least one whole decent-sized banana per 2 serves).  I've included a quantity for the sweetened condensed milk only because I don't see the point in cooking any less than that at once.  You may or may not use it all, depending on how big your pie is.

Double-Banana Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

Your favourite sweet shortcrust pastry recipe and the wherewithal to make it.

2 tins sweetened condensed milk
Bananas for slicing


70g fresh banana (extra)
125g Double cream
1 tsp Vanilla paste (plus a little extra for drizzling, if desired)

Modus Operandi
For the dulce de leche:  Empty both tins of condensed milk into a baking dish, cover with foil, and set the dish in a larger baking tray.  Add boiling water to the tray until it reaches more than half-way up the side of the baking dish.  Bake at 220 degrees Celsius until the milk has caramelised (at least 1 1/2 hours, but probably closer to 2 hours).  Store in the refrigerator.  Note:  This part can be made a few weeks ahead of time, which then makes this pie not only really easy, but really quick also.

Make your pastry, line a pie plate or individual tart tins with it, and bake blind.  Note that this is the pie's only time in the oven, so the pastry must be completely cooked.  Cool.

For the banana cream:  Puree the banana in a food processor or with a stick blender.  Add the cream and whip until soft peaks are reached.  Stir the vanilla paste through gently.

Assemble!  Spoon dulce de leche into the pastry case/s until around two-thirds full.  Top with lots of sliced banana, and then with a dollop of banana cream.  Drizzle with extra vanilla paste if you like.


Now go check out all the other pie recipes in this months' Hop - there's enough pastry-encased goodness there to get you through a whole winter!