Banoffee Pie

This banoffee pie recipe (banana + toffee = banoffee) is our take on the classic British dessert that we imagine could have been one of the selection of pies that Professor Slughorn passed around on the Hogwarts Express at his first meeting of the “Slug Club” at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Though some recipes use a graham cracker or digestive biscuit crust, we chose a traditional pastry crust as it lends a slightly savory accompaniment to the sweetness of the caramel filling. If you like green tea, serve slices of this pie alongside our Charleston Green for a lovely pairing. If you prefer black tea, banoffee pie goes really well with our traditional English Breakfast.

Banoffee Pie

Serves 12

Ingredients:

For the caramel filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp. salted butter, room temperature cut up into 6 pieces
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt

For the crust:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 138 grams very cold salted butter, cut into large pieces
• 6-8 Tbsp. ice water

Toppings:

• 2 bananas, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
• 1 oz. dark chocolate bar for grating

Instructions:

1. First make the caramel filling. Have all caramel ingredients ready, with butter at room temperature.
2. Place the sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. The sugar will begin to clump together a lot, but keep stirring constantly. It will eventually begin to melt completely and turn a nice, golden-amber color. Be very careful not to burn – lower the heat if it’s darkening in color too much before it’s completely melted.
3. Immediately add the butter once the sugar is golden-amber, and stir vigorously until the butter is melted and incorporated, and the caramel is smooth. As soon as the butter hits the liquid it will sputter up so take care not to get your hand too close. Stir until the butter is fully incorporated.
4. While continuing to stir, drizzle the heavy cream into the caramel in a slow, steady stream. Again, the caramel will bubble up when the cream hits it. Allow the mixture to boil up, while continuing to stir, for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the kosher salt. Transfer to a clean bowl and allow to cool completely. It will thicken considerably as it cools.
6. While the caramel cools, make the pastry crust. Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.
7. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.
8. Add the ice water and gently fold it in with a fork until it starts to clump together, being very careful not to overwork it. If it’s still quite dry and crumbly, add a little bit more ice water, until you can form a disc.
9. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
11. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a circle of an even 1/8-inch thickness.
12. Transfer the dough to a pie plate and trim off the excess. Crimp the edges into a classic pie edge. Poke holes with a fork all over the base of the crust and up the sides to help prevent it from puffing up too much while it bakes.
13. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Check halfway through to make sure it’s not puffing up. If it is, gently poke it with a fork and let it deflate.
14. Cool the crust completely.
15. Smooth the caramel evenly over the cooled crust. If your caramel is on the thin side, place it in the refrigerator until it’s cold enough to reasonable hold its shape when sliced.
16. Place the sliced bananas over the caramel. Smooth a thick layer of whipped cream over the bananas and grate the chocolate over the top.

Enjoy!