Those who know me that I’m not a big pie maker, but when I saw this on several sites a few years ago, I had to add it to my list of delicious sweets to make. The components sounded easy enough and were things I have made many times before, they included: a cookie crust, vanilla custard, sliced bananas, dulce de leche caramel and meringue topping – I could handle that.
So I set out to make the pie, and I should say that it was so good that I made it twice in a row — without even taking a breath.
This is an easy pie to make because the caramel and the crust can be made whenever you have some extra time on your hands. Slice the bananas and make the pastry cream when you are ready to put it all together, and then layer the banana slices with dollops of the caramel in the pie shell.
When putting the pie together, I used a little trick that I learned many years ago. When pouring the custard into the shell, reserve a little custard and allow it to cool slightly. Once it has cooled and is a little more firm, add it to the center of the pie and create a small mound. Use your offset spatula to create a dome in the center of the pie. This little technique helps the pie look fuller and prevents it from sinking in the center. It makes a huge difference in the appearance of any pie that uses a custard filling that is poured into a pre-made pie shell.
I chose to add a few more crumbs on top of the custard to create some traction so that it would be easier to add the meringue. Make sure to gently press the crumbs into the custard, because any loose crumbs will create the same problem. Place this into the refrigerator to cool and set up. Once cool, top it with the Italian meringue and either leave it as is or flame it as I did for a more dramatic appearance. This is so delicious, and anyone who tastes it will be asking you for an encore…
Banoffee Pie
1 graham cracker cookie crust
1 recipe vanilla pastry cream
(use 5 level tablespoons of cornstarch instead of 3)
1 can of dulce de leche made from sweetened condensed milk
2 small bananas
1 recipe Italian meringue
The first thing you can do is make the caramel from the sweetened condensed milk. If making this on the same day, make sure to allow it to cool completely before adding it to the pie. Follow the link above for the directions on how to make it, or you can purchase a jar of it at the store these days.
Next, make your pie crust and allow it to cool completely. Once it has cooled, slice your bananas and set them aside. Next, make your pastry cream. I used 5 level tablespoons of cornstarch to make it more firm but not rubbery. Remove 1 cup of custard and allow this to cool. Pour half of the remaining custard into the pie shell and add the bananas and dollops of the caramel.
Add the other half of the custard and top, and allow it to cool slightly.
Then add the 1 cup of reserved custard and create a small dome with your offset spatula. Add some remaining crumbs if you like and gently press them into the custard.
Allow this to cool, then cover and refrigerate. When ready, top with your Italian meringue and enjoy.
Should be slightly domed in the center, like this…
Remove the rim and then add the Italian meringue…
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