Banoffi Pie, the original recipe

You will need a 10 x 1 & ½ inch (deep) loose bottomed flan tin and your oven preheated to: 180C / gas mark 4

For the Pastry

250g / 9 oz plain flour
25g / 1 oz icing sugar
125g / 4 & ½ oz butter
1 egg and 1 egg yolk

Making the Pastry

1. Place the flour and sugar in a bowl, cut the butter into cubes and then rub it in to the flour / sugar until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
2. Work in the egg to form a paste.
3. Chill for half an hour then roll out to the thickness of a pound coin and line the flan tin.
4. Prick the base, line with parchment paper and weigh down with dry beans.
5. Cook for fifteen minutes then remove the beans and paper.
6. Put the pastry case back into the oven and cook until it is evenly golden.
7. Remove from the oven and cool.

To Assemble

1 & ½ tins of banoffi toffee (see note on boiling the tins).
5-6 ripe bananas
425 ml / ¾ pint of double cream
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
1 dessertspoon of caster sugar
A pinch of ground coffee

Putting it Together

1. Carefully spread the toffee over the pastry base.
2. Peel and split the bananas lengthways and arrange them on top of the toffee, (see how they fit the curve of the pastry – that’s why God made bananas curved).
3. Whip the cream with the instant coffee (if they are granules they will dissolve as you whip the cream) and the sugar until it just holds its shape – take care not to over whip it.
4. Spread the cream over the bananas right up to the pastry edge then sprinkle sparingly with the ground coffee.
5. If you are not serving it immediately cover first with some baking parchment or greaseproof paper directly onto the cream and trim the edges then wrap in cling film. It does not lend itself to being frozen.

Boiling the cans of condensed milk

IMPORTANT: Over the years I have become increasingly concerned about the danger of boiling cans of condensed milk. There is no danger of them exploding unless the water in the saucepan boils dry.If this does happen the result is terrifying and can scald anyone close to it.

It has happened to me once and that was enough. Because I now teach and demonstrate a lot I like to make sure my instructions are safe so I have devised this method.

1. Find a deep saucepan or casserole that will go in the oven.
2. Put into it as many tins of condensed milk as will fit. (THE TINS MUST BE UNOPENED). It’s worth doing several at a time to save on power.
3. Cover the tins with water and bring to the boil.
4. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven set to gas mark 1 / 140 C (less for fan assisted).
5. Cook for 3 & ½ hours.
6. This way there is no danger of the water boiling dry and being in a more controlled temperature you get a more consistent result. Lift the cans from the water, cool and store.