The Banoffee Pie is claimed to have been developed in 1972 by Ian Dowding and Nigel Mackenzie, the chef and owner respectively at The Hungry Monk restaurant in Jevington, East Sussex. Said to have been inspired by an American dish known as "Blum's Coffee Toffee Pie", which consisted of smooth toffee topped with coffee-flavoured whipped cream. Dowding recalls having adapted the recipe to use the type of soft caramel toffee created by boiling a can of condensed milk and he worked with Mackenzie to add a layer of bananas. They called the dish "Banoffi" and Dowding describes the dish as proving so popular with their customers that they "couldn't take it off" the menu.
The recipe was then adopted by other restaurants, as well as a number of supermarkets which began selling it as an American pie, leading Nigel Mackenzie to offer a £10,000 prize to anyone who could disprove their claim by finding any published pre-1972 recipe for the pie. Mackenzie erected a blue plaque on the front of The Hungry Monk confirming it as the birthplace of the world's favourite pudding. The Hungry Monk was purchased in 1968 by Nigel Mackenzie and his wife, and was open for 44 years until its closure in January 2012 due to "increased running costs"
The recipe was published in The Deeper Secrets of the Hungry Monk in 1974, and later reprinted in the cookbook In Heaven with the Hungry Monk (1997). Ian Dowding has since posted his original recipe online because he is "pedantic about the correct version", and stated that his "pet hates are biscuit crumb bases and that horrible cream in aerosols".
The word "Banoffee" has entered the English language and is used to describe any food or product that tastes or smells of both banana and toffee.
A recipe for the pie, using a biscuit crumb base, is often printed on tins of Nestle's condensed milk.**
Banoffi Pie Recipe (to serve 8-10 people)
12 ounces uncooked shortcrust pastry
1.5 tins condensed milk (13.5 ounces each)
1.5 pounds firm bananas
375ml of double cream
Half a teaspoon powdered instant coffee( optional, I prefer use chocolate shavings/ curls or caramelised nuts instead)
1 dessertspoon caster sugar
A little freshly ground coffee(optional, I prefer to use toffee sauce)
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 (400F, ). Lightly grease a 10in x 1.5in loose bottomed flan tin. Line this with the pastry thinly rolled out. Prick the base all over with a fork and bake blind until crisp. Allow to cool.
The secret of this delicious pudding lies in the condensed milk.
Immerse the cans unopened in a deep pan of boiling water. Cover and boil for 3 hours making sure that the pan does not boil dry (It is absolutely vital to top up the pan of boiling water frequently during the cooking of the cans. 3 hours is a long time and if they are allowed to boil dry the cans will explode causing a grave risk to life, limb and kitchen ceilings)
Remove the tins from the water and allow to cool completely before opening. Inside you will find the soft toffee filling.*
3 Hours = light caramel
4 Hours = dark caramel
Method
Whip the cream with the instant coffee and sugar until thick and smooth. Now spread the toffee over the base of the flan. Peel and halve the bananas lengthwise ( I prefer to thinly slice and toss in lemon juice to prevent browning) and lay them on the toffee. Finally spoon or pipe on the cream and lightly sprinkle over the freshly ground coffee or drizzle with toffee sauce and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
SHORTCRUST PASTRY: refer to previous post on Apricot and Almond Tart, you may wish to double the quantity and use what you need. I how ever find that single quantity is enough as I roll my pastry quite thinly, thus making a light crispy pastry base and my flan tin is slightly smaller in size
BISCUIT BASE: For quickness and ease you can go with a American style biscuit crumb pie base
For this you will need
225g Digestive or Ginger Biscuits
60g-80g Melted Butter (use more butter when you require a rather solid structure to your base)
Crush the biscuits or pulse in a food processor until resembling fine breadcrumbs. Tip the biscuit crumbs into the melted butter and stir until evenly coated. Pour the mixture into the centre of flan tin, then press the mixture firmly over the base of the tin and up the sides using the back of a dessert spoon. Transfer the base to the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes, until firm.
You can also add in pulsed pecans, almond, lemon zest or cinnamon to your bases for added texture/crunch and flavor.
* Do a few tins at a time as they can be stored unopened for some time and are rather handy for when you want to make a quick dessert
Or you can simply use your microwave: Pour the contents of the tins into a bowl, heat on medium for 2mins, stir and then repeat again. Then microwave on medium-low power for 16 to 24 minutes or until milk turns thick and caramel in colour, stirring every few minutes.
You can nowadays buy the caramel already done in cans/jars, commonly referred to as Dulce de leche
VARIATIONS
Happy Baking!!
**Some information supplied by Wikipedia
