An English classic, perfect for those not courageous enough to bake, but still willing to show off. This deliciously sweet dessert was apparently Margaret Thatcher's favourite recipe to prepare (according to Marla Brook's The Celebrity Cookbook: Kitchen Secrets of the Rich and Famous). In some countries dulce de leche, which is a key ingredient in this recipe, can be bought ready-made, if not it can be easily prepared from condensed milk, it just takes some time. Banoffee pie is usually topped with whipped cream, but my version is a bit richer with an addition of mascarpone and banana mousse.
You'll need:
1 can of condensed milk
300g biscuits (I used coco and almond biscuits, but ginger cookies would be best)
60g butter
4 bananans
juice from 1/2 lemon
30% cream
sugar
200g mascaropone
2 pieces of dark chocolate, grated
1. Start off by preparing your dulce de leche by boiling the can with condensed milk for 3 hours over low heat. Make sure the can is completely covered by water. Cool off the can before opening it! Otherwise the pressure might cause it to explode and you probably don't want to face the clean up!
2. Crush the biscuits into crumbs by putting them in a cloth/bag and hitting them with a roller or another hard object or by using a blender.
3. Melt the butter and pour it over the crushed biscuits.
4. Transfer the buttered biscuits into a tin and press firmly to form a base. Put in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Cover the base with a layer of dulce de leche.
6. Slice 3 bananas and cover them in lemon juice before putting them on top of dulce de leche.
7. Whip the cream in a food processor, being careful not to overwhip it. Add sugar and then carefully fold in the mascarpone cheese.
8. Break the remaining banana into chunks and blend it. Fold it into the cream mixture.
9. Use a piping bag to decorate the banoffee pie with cream on top.
10. Sprinkle with chocolate, et voila!
Bon appétit!
