Love Sweet Love/Banoffi Pie

"There is no remedy for love but to love more."

Thoreau

Ahh, the idiotic romantic in me can never get enough of a love story especially when it involves someone who truly deserves to be loved the way he loves. Truly, Madly, Deeply. When I caught whiffs that love was in the air for a good blogger friend SD I was truly thrilled for him. And his lady love of course. This one's for you SD; (raising my coffee cup) may it be a keeper this time around. In celebration, you both get this from me:-

A Sweet Banoffi Pie for your Sweet, Sweet Love!

The only reason why I have never attempted this pie before was because of the lengthy time involved in the making of the caramel. The process of boiling a can of condensed milk for 3 hours (some bakers advocate 4 hours; I've even seen recipes that say 8 hours would be just right!!) just didn't appeal to me very much.. Well, that is until I threw all caution to the wind (as in love, we should all invariably apply this approach; it's always worth it, believe me) and gave in to the nagging cravings of a sweet tooth... I was not disappointed and neither were the kids, I tell you! With one bite this pie will put paid to all the sugary cravings you ever had... Trust me. I have been there. And I had more than a slice.... The reason why it's sheer folly on my part now to miss/ponteng a gym session. But I did just that today. *sigh* All in good faith of course. I needed confirmation from my friend SD on his love status, hehe. Which he did, in good faith.

See that lovely oozy caramel? Yumms.

Only the original version would do; the reason why I sourced out this recipe from the inventors themselves. Here's the recipe and the story behind it all :-

Invented at the Hungry Monk in 1972, Banoffi Pie (originally known as Banoffee Pie), is still as popular today as it was the first time it appeared on the menu. There have been many imitations as far and wide as Russia and the United States; it is even rumored to be Mrs Thatcher's favourite pudding! Below is the original Banoffi Pie recipe as it first appeared in 'The Deeper Secrets of the Hungry Monk' in 1974.

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
1 dessertspoon caster sugar
A little freshly ground coffee

Preparation
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 (400F, ). Lightly grease a 10in x 1.5in 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 *(see CAUTION).

Remove the tin from the water and allow to cool completely before opening. Inside you will find the soft toffee filling.

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 lenghtways and lay them on the toffee. Finally spoon or pipe on the cream and lightly sprinkle over the freshly ground coffee.

*CAUTION
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.

Hint - Banoffi is a marvellous "emergency" pudding once you have the toffee mixture in your store cupboard. We therefore suggest that you boil several cans at the same time as they keep unopened indefinitely.