I have always really enjoyed toffee. My wife and I would take long weekends up to Chicago to visit the orchid growers so I could add to my then large collection of beautiful orchids. There was this candy shop in West Dundee we would often stop at, and I couldn’t resist buying homemade toffee covered in chocolate and roasted pecans. I don’t remember when I first enjoyed banoffee pie; I just always knew I loved it. Sadly, it was rarely offered at restaurants we visited over the years. Comically enough, though I am known for making pies to my close groups of friends, I realized I had never made banoffee for them.
Recently I have made it twice, which is the first time in probably 20 years. I made individual tarts for a dessert box created for the winners of one of the silent auctions at this year’s Lincoln Land Community College Gala. I recreated the same dessert for a gathering of new friends as part of a potluck, and it was very well received. It’s funny too that I was the last person to taste the completed dessert. I made sure the components were tasty, but I knew in my mind it would work as I combined and created recipes to put it together. I had everyone else taste the finished product, but I did not. At the potluck, I finally tasted a small bit and was a little shocked at how much I loved it.
The credit for banoffee is given to two British men, Nigel Mackenzie and Ian Dowding, at the former Hungry Monk restaurant in East Sussex, England, in 1971. It is said the idea was inspired by a dessert from an American pastry shop in San Francisco, Blum’s, and their coffee toffee pie. They tried several fruits in its creation but finally settled on banana. It was an instant favorite on their menu and would never leave.
Banoffee
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or extract
2 eggs
100 grams sugar
55 grams cornstarch
Pinch of salt
50 grams unsalted butter
2 bananas
120 grams unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 quart heavy cream
1-13.4 ounce can dolce de leche
1 box of mini Nilla wafers
Chocolate shavings
To make pastry cream:
Bring milk, 1 cup cream and vanilla to a boil.
Whisk eggs and sugar together thoroughly.
Whisk in cornstarch and salt to egg and sugar mixture.
Slowly temper boiled milk mixture into egg mixture.
Over medium/high heat, whisk constantly until it starts to bubble.
Still whisking constantly, cook 1 minute longer.
Immediately transfer to a clean bowl.
Whisk in 50 grams butter until melted.
Place over a bowl of ice, and whisk until cooled significantly.
Puree bananas in a food processor.
Add banana puree to pastry cream.
Store in airtight container, and refrigerate.
To make toffee:
Combine 120 grams butter, brown sugar and salt in a pot.
Whisk constantly over medium high heat until it reaches 300 degrees.
Carefully pour onto a baking sheet that is covered with either a silicone mat or parchment paper lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Place in the fridge until the toffee hardens.
Break the toffee into pieces by hand or in a food processor, and set aside.
To make dolce de leche whipped cream:
Place 1 quart of heavy cream in a mixing bowl with ¾ of the can of dolce de leche.
Whisk until whipped cream is formed. Taste. If you want, add more dolce de leche. I found ¾ of the can to be very enjoyable. Use the leftover to flavor a cup of coffee or something fun.
Assembly:
In a large casserole dish, spread the banana pastry cream into an even layer.
Sprinkle half of the toffee over the top.
Spread the dolce de leche whipped cream as the next layer.
Add the entire box of mini Nilla wafers, and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle the other half of the toffee over the top.
Top with chocolate shavings (just a little).
Place in the fridge for at least an hour to let everything set up and the flavors to mingle a bit.
Enjoy!
To make a pie:
Bake a pie crust, and build into the cooled crust. This will make at least two pies. Maybe omit the wafers — maybe not.
About
Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.
Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.