Banoffee Pie - banana, dulche de leche and cream...you're going to love me for this one!!

(Don't know why my pictures are in the wrong order...but they should be reversed....!!)

Yes indeed you are going to think I am the Bees Knees when you make this deceptively simple little pie...it is heavenly! It is crunchy, if you choose a good thin crust, luscious, creamy, very sweet without being cloying...oh what joy! Apparently it was 'invented' in the early 70's at The Hungry Monk in England and has since become one of the favourite desserts of Blighty, my goodness it was even mentioned in my favourite movie "Love actually", which by the way I watch every year near Christmas time...but that's by the by....here we go....

BANOFFEE TOFFEE PIE!!!!!!! 
INGREDIENTS:
 2 cups of canned sweetened condensed milk 

1 9" frozen pie crust...I would normally make the pie crust but in this instance I have found an EXCELLENT pie crust by Maple Lane Bakery which is organic, vegan, unbleached white flour and VERY good...I cook it 'blind' (cautionary note here...do NOT used unpopped corn for this purpose....I did once and guess what happened!!!) and for longer than they say so it is really golden and crisp.

3 nicely ripe bananas...not starchy ones....err on the side of too ripe rather than underripe!

1 1/2 cups chilled heavy/double cream...preferably organic as I have found this doesn't 'weep' after whipping and sitting around for a while, although I have to tell you if this pie does sit around for a while someone's taste buds are dead!

1 tablespoon light brown sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

...and off we go..


METHOD:
1. Pre heat oven to 425F

2. Pour condensed milk into a pie plate and stir in a generous pinch of salt

3. Cover pie plate with foil and fold tightly around the rim. Put pie plate into a roasting pan 'bain marie' (water bath) and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the pie plate. Bake and check on the water occasionally to make sure it hasn't all evaporated, replenish as necessary. Cook until the milk has become a delicious golden caramel colour and has thickened considerably, which may take up to 2 hours...I like mine slightly runny and not quite so dark so it may take less time to get to that stage...see pic above...and can now be technically called dulche de leche, remove from the oven and let cool before popping in the fridge for a while to really cool. I prefer this method to the boil in the ca one as you can check the progress and take the dulche de leche out at the point where you like it to be.

4.Whip the cream with the brown sugar and vanilla....

5. Pour condensed milk caramel into precooked pie crust.....slice bananas all over the top...cover all with whipped cream....make sure bananas are completely covered or they'll turn brown very quickly, the cream will insulate them for a while...although it will be gone so quickly they won't have the chance anyways!!! 

Off you go, go now, trust me you will LOVE this charming little pie....don't assemble the pie until just before you want it devoured so the crust doesn't get a chance to go soggy!!! 

This is my way of saying 'Happy Thanksgiving'