Boston Banoffee Pie

[cakecrumbs]

Banoffee Pie is one of those things I've heard lots about, but actually had no idea what it was. So when browsing through one of my books for this week's cook book challenge, I saw this recipe listed and just had to find out what all the fuss was about.

Comments

[mochi_roll]

Your banoffee pie looks really beautiful! I want to make one, but I'm concerned about the bananas turning brown or sogging or rotting quickly while placed on top of the toffee base of the pie.

Do you have any tips to prevent it, or should I add the bananas right before serving?

Thanks and best regards~ :)

[cakecrumbs]

Thank you. :]

Sprinkling the bananas with lemon juice stops the browning. Citrus in general is good to stop fruit from browning. I forgot to do that step, though, and I didn't have any problems with it browning.

[mochi_roll]

thank you for answering my inquiry! I have some foll-up questions... Here they are: How much lemon juice should I sprinkle over the bananas? And, will the citrus juice affect the flavor of the bananas?

[cakecrumbs]

You basically only need enough to coat the surface of the banana. It just stops the air from oxidising the fruit. I have a large squeeze bottle of lemon juice so in that case you can use as much as you need. If you're using freshly squeezed juice, might as well use a whole lemon. If you're concerned about it affecting the taste, you can water it down. Acidic water does the same trick (often even plain water works, though I tend not to use plain water as I feel like it dilutes the flavour of the fruit, which is probably irrational on my part). I tend to use acidic water mostly because I'm cheap. xD I think the usual ratio is about 1/4 cup citrus juice or vinegar to 1 cup of water. You can even crush a vitamin C tablet in water to achieve the same effect, or you can sprinkle the fruit with pineapple juice. You don't need to be too pedantic about it. All you need to achieve is a barrier between the fruit and oxygen, the way in which you do it is open to several options. Just go with whatever suits you pallet, your budget and your

[myarra]

Looks and sounds delicious!
I'm confused by this part of the ingredient list though:
225g/8oz/1 cup butter
50g/2oz/1 cup butter

[cakecrumbs]

I actually have no idea what that is. I think that was me messing up the list. Doh. I should write recipes when half asleep. xD I'll fix that now.

[cakecrumbs]

Awesome. :] You should let us know how it goes!

[mabith]

The ones I've seen in English cookbooks are constructed a bit differently, and have less caramel, so maybe that's the main difference between Boston and regular (like this: http://threemanycooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/BanoffeePie33.jpg?9d7bd4).

It does always sound excellent, but I've never bothered to make one. I think partly because I can see the look my grandma would give me if I told her I was making a pie full of caramel.

[cakecrumbs]

Thank you both for that info! I love the idea of less caramel. Caramel is one of my favourite things on the planet, but this is so rich and sweet that you need to have a small slice. More banana and less caramel sounds like a much better balance to me! Will have to try the traditional version some time. I've never seen it sold in a bakery or restaurant over here before so I'll probably have to make it.

[nimrod_9]

Never heard of it! It looks fab! And anything caramel....well I'm in!!! Thanks for sharing it!

[cakecrumbs]

Ditto that one - anything with caramel is a yes for me!

My pleasure. :]