banoffi or banoffee, delicious no matter how you spell it

i can still remember the first slice of banoffi pie i ever ate. a co-worker had brought the pie to an office potluck and when i took i slice, i was expecting banana cream pie. instead, i tasted something a bit more sublime. it was sweet, creamy and heavenly. the crust was more subtle than a graham cracker crust. the toffee was rich and more complex than pudding. the banana kept it from being too sweet and added texture. the whipped cream kept it light. everything melded together perfectly. after that first bite, i had found my new favorite dessert.

the original banoffi pie had a homemade crust. i've also seen recipes with a graham crust. the version i ate had a crust made out of digestives (a type of english wheat cookie), so i've used them here as well. i made the pie pictured here to take to an event, so i used some extra ingredient to build individual banoffi parfaits for myself and the geek to enjoy.


adapted from the original banoffi pie recipe by ian dowding, the man who created this lovely, lovely dessert.

equipment:
9 inch pie tin or plate
deep medium or large oven-safe pot with a tight fitting lid
food processor (or heavy object to crush the cookies)
hand-held or standing electric mixer with whisk attachments (or a fork and some determination)

ingredients:
1 can of toffee (directions to prepare below)
10 digestives (1.5 cups finely ground; available at some kroger and world market stores in the 'british' food section)
6 oz butter, melted
4-5 ripe bananas
1.5 cups whipping cream or heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee
shaved chocolate or additional instant coffee for dusting (optional)

directions:
to prepare toffee

1. pre-heat the oven to 285 degrees F.
2. place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in an oven-safe pot with a tight fitting lid. add enough water to completely cover the can. 
3. bring the water to boil. cover and move the pot to the oven.
4. cook in oven for 3.5 hours. check every hour or so and add water if needed.
5. remove cans from water and cool completely. 

multiple cans may be prepared at once to save time and energy. this method was devised by ian dowding (creator of the original banoffi pie) to eliminate the risk (of exploding cans) associated with the stove top method. cooking the cans in a covered pot in the oven minimizes the risk of the water completely evaporating.

to prepare the banoffi pie

1. preheat oven to 375 degree F.
2. finely grind digestives in a food processor (or finely crush in a resealable bag with a heavy object). mix in melted butter until well blended. press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
3. bake for 7 minutes. cool completely.
4. carefully spread 1 can of toffee over the pie base.
5. peel and slice bananas lengthwise. arrange in a single layers over the toffee.
6. whip cream, sugar, and instant coffee until soft peaks form. spread the whipped cream over the bananas to cover completely.
7. dust with instant coffee, shaved chocolate or cocoa powder if desired.

Notes:

• you can serve this immediately or chill and let the flavors meld; i recommend the latter. the geek took a bite right after i made it and said, "this is okay, i feel like it would be better cold." he ate a slice the next day out of the refrigerator and said, "this is one of the best things i've ever tasted!" and he isn't really a banana fan. he claims credit for the refrigeration=goodness idea.
• to chill, cover the whipped cream with parchment or wax paper and cover the crust with plastic wrap.
• do not freeze.
• an equivalent amount of ready made dulce de leche could be substituted for the toffee.
• to make the parfaits, layer coarsely crushed digestives, a teaspoon or so of toffee, bananas (i used the bananas to press down the toffee layer), whipped cream. repeat layers ending with whipped cream. top with instant coffee, shaved chocolate or cocoa powder.