Banoffee Pie with Dulce de Leche- scary stuff!

Ban(ana) +(T)offee + pie=
Banoffee Pie is an indulgent but simple, no cook British dessert made from bananas, cream, chocolate and *Dulce de Leche on a base of either pastry or cookie crumbs. It's just one of those flavour combinations that work like a dream.
This is something that I had been meaning to make for a long time. Although Banoffee has become a classic English dessert, *Dulce de leche originates from South America so quite possibly my recent holiday to Brazil stirred a desire in me to taste once again the rich sweet taste of Banoffee Pie.
* Dulce de leche is a toffee/caramel like substance make from heating (for 3 hours!) tinned sweetened condensed milk until it thickens and reaches a golden colour. This itself is a daunting task- they are many warnings about exploding tins :-(....but you should be ok as long as you adhere to certain rules.
So the weekend before last, I risked life, limb and my kitchen units in order to satisfy my craving.
How to make Dulce de Leche:
Place the unopened can(s) of condensed milk in a(n old) large saucepan and cover it completely with water. The advice is to use an old pan but I didn't and my pan was fine. It is an idea to boil more cans at one time as it does store well in the closed tin can or in a sealed (sterilised) container in the fridge- if you can leave it alone- it is very hard to resist just spooning it out of the jar! (You will regret it afterwards)

Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Place the pan lid on and cook the can, turning every so often, (I set my alarm for 30minute intervals) topping up with water as necessary for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. CAUTION: It is vital that the cans remain completely covered. When the time is up drain rain off the water and allow the cans to cool.
Do not try to open until the can is completely cool so make well in advance. it will be lovely and thick. I used just one can but if you really want to be indulgent use 1 1/2 cans per pie.
In the meantime you can make the crust of choice. I used ginger cookies with cinnamon. It isn't necessary to add extra sugar due to the sweetness of the filling.
RECIPE 1
Banoffee Pie:
180gr ginger cookies (or any cookies like digestive)
85gr butter
heaped tsp cinnamon
1 tin (397 gr)condensed milk ( I used Friesche Vlag from AH)
banana's sliced (I used 5 small)
200ml cream, whipped
cocoa for dusting plus grated plain chocolate.
Spring form, lined with a piece of greaseproof paper
Bash the cookies in a clean bag with a rolling pin or pestle. Heat butter in small pan until just melted. Add crumbs and mix. Press in the base and slightly on the sides of a spring form (mine was 24cm) with a spoon. Cool in a refrigerator.
Whip cream. Now it is a matter of just putting it together, layer of toffee (it will be thick and difficult to spread but don't be tempted to add milk, I did but it doesn't hold its shape good)- banana and cream (or banana- toffee and cream) Cool, just before serving sprinkle lavishly with cacao and grated plain chocolate. Enjoy!

Banoffee Pie even has film star status: It features briefly in one of the all time classic films: Love Actually, in the the painstaking scene where Juliet suddenly realises the true nature of Marks feelings...watch the continuality flaws the box containing the pie changes position several times on the TV stand and even disappears! Here

RECIPE 2
I still had a can over- but no worries, it didn't hang around for long! I fancied something a little different. I love the combination of banana and toffee but wanted a slight change. As I am a confessed chocoholic it didn't take me long to decide what twist to take on the Banoffee Pie - a Choco-Banoffe. I added a layer of rich chocolate *ganache but to conteract the sweetness I decided to make a bitter cocoa pastry base. It gives the pie a rich dark colour.
* Ganache is a French term is an icing or filling for pastries and glazings made from chocolate and cream. It is normally made by heating heavy/double cream, then pouring it over chopped dark chocolate. Note if you use milk chocolate it will not set properly! It should cut like butter.
I adjusted the Jamie Oliver Simple Chocolate Tart by halving the ingredients for the filling. I used my own base.

This photo actually doen't do it any justice, it looks a bit runny, look here

Choco Banoffee:
Pastry:
300gr plain flour/ cocoa to taste (not more than 50gr cocoa 250gr flour)
2 heaped tsp sugar
pinch salt
150gr butter
1 egg, beaten
little water as necessary
24cm spring form/ flan tin, lined with greasproof paper.

Add salt to flour, sprinkle in sugar. Rub the butter in to the flour, add (beaten) egg and enough water (very little) to form a dough. Handle as little as possible. Refrigerate for about an hour, this will rest the dough, it will be easier to handle and is less likely to shrink. Prewarm oven 180c /350f / gas 4
Roll out large enough to line the tin (including sides) Ideally this should rest again- pop it into the fridge for 10 minutes if you have time.
Bake "blind". Place baking beans on greaseproof paper (if you don't have beans carefully prick the pastry case with a fork not piercing completely through the pastry) and cook for 15minutes, remove greaseproof paper/beans and allow to cook for about another 10minutes. It is a fairly thick pastry so needs longer than normal. Leave to cool.
Spread one can of Dulce de Luche on the flan. Add 3 sliced Banana's.

Ganache:
157ml cream
1 level tablespoon caster sugar
pinch of salt
57gr butter softened
227gr dark chocolate
50ml milk
cocoa powder for dusting

Place the cream, sugar and a pinch of salt in a pan and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture has boiled, remove from the heat and add the butter and chocolate. Stir until it has completely melted. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, stirring in the cold milk until smooth and shiny. Sometimes this mixture looks like it has split. Allow it to cool down a bit more and whisk in a little extra cold milk until smooth. Scrape all the mixture into the pastry shell on top of the bananas. Shake the tart to even it out and allow it to cool. Dust with the cocoa powder.
If you really want to push the boat out serve with a dollop of cream. It won't be overly sweet due to the bitter pastry, it balances very well. I have wierd taste buds and added a drizzle of Crema di balsamico.

You could make lots of variations, what about serving as a dessert in individual glasses with a tart fruit (I'm thinking cranberries) on the bottom, then a layer of dulce de Leche and chocolate. Or a bottom layer of sponge soaked in brandy/ liqueur. Or add a topping of toasted and chopped hazelnuts. Or alternatively you could flavour the Dulce de leche with coffee.

So if YOU are looking for a bit of adventure in the kitchen, grab a couple of cans of condensed milk next time you are in your local supermarket and give it a go. You will be richly rewarded.

Simple Desserts: 10 minute Tiramisu and a quick Trifle

I've been fancying a lot of desserts recently, many that go as far back as my childhood, some are even school dinners! At the time not something you cared to admit to enjoy, except of course ‘chocolate crunch and chocolate custard ‘ everyone's favourite. But my recent urges are for suet puddings (spotted dick or jam roly-poly), jellies and milk puddings (rice puddings and tapioca) something that I didn’t particularly like at all. And a bit more up market, and things that I have always enjoyed: cheesecakes, lemon meringue pie, and (English) trifles.
Now it's time for a 'pick-me- up' the literal translation of: Tiramisu, an Italian dessert, it’s name referring to the boost you get from the stimulants (caffeine) coffee and (theobromine / phenethylamine)cocoa plus it's high sugar content, giving a burst of energy. Well as I have already mentioned I am a bit ‘egg phobic’. I couldn't even contemplate making an authentic ‘Tiramisu’ which in order to to bear the name, must contain (amongst other ingredients) eggs and Massala (a type of fortified wine). Other ingredients include mascarpone, cream, sponge fingers (savoiardi) strong coffee and cocoa. However I do love this wonderful dessert and have almost certainly (albeit unknowingly) eaten raw eggs before now- and what is more I have survived to tell the tale!
It can be made in individual glasses or in any dish, a glass trifle or even an lasagna dish. It should be made in layers but I wanted to get mine made and in the fridge as quickly as possible, and eaten even quicker! So I choose to make one layer of each ingredient.
I searched the internet for a nontraditional recipe without eggs and a bit less fattening than the usual. I wanted all the taste but as few calories as possible. In the end I based it on a good friends recipe who always makes delicious Tiramisu. I was quite proud of guessing her ‘secret’ ingredient- Vla.
This is a Dutch cold custard and it is ideal for making Tiramisu. It certainly takes all the fuss away. I love cooking but I am all for shortcuts.
The success of a Tiramisu is in the consistency, you have to find the balance between it not being too runny or too dry, you must experiment- oh dear that means it has to be a regular on the menu ;-) The same rule applies to the cookie fingers as flour, they are ’inconsistent’ (different types of flour have different absorptive properties), so the amount of liquid is always very much about 'feel'. Although it is rather a cheat recipe I justify that it is an Italian dessert and Italian cooking is all about simply things, minimum ingredients but maximum taste, and as they say the proof is in the pudding....

Dutch influenced 10 minute Tiramisu
Make a strong cup (about 150-200ml) of espresso coffee (or instant if you prefer)
100ml Tia Maria (or any alcoholic beverage you desire)
250gr mascarpone
250ml vanille vla (Dutch cold custard)
Lady's fingers/ lange fingers/ (about 130gr)
3 heaped tsp sugar
Cocoa
Almonds
Serves 8

Make the coffee and dissolve the sugar. Add the alcoholic beverage. Dip the cookies one for one and lay them on the bottom of your dish (or individual glasses) a large glass salad bowl is the traditional way of serving Tiramisu. Feel the cookies and drip on extra liquid if necessary.
Beat the mascarpone until smooth and combine with the vla, beat until smooth. Add an extra dash of alcohol to the mascarpone/vla if you wish (I did!).
Ensure the lady’s fingers are completely cool. Pour the mascarpone/vla over the cookies. I made one level but you could make two or more depending on your serving dish.
Smooth the surface over and generously dust with cocoa and/or chocolate shavings.
Add nuts for an even more luxorious look. Unfortunately my photo's were lost but when I make it again I'll be sure to post.
Refrigerate for a few hours. Enjoy!














Tiramisu is also great in the summer with fresh raspberries or strawberries. December 12th 2009: Here is a Strawberry Tiramisu I made today, I used layers and you can see how pretty it can look made in individual glasses. This time I used Kahlua (coffee) liqueur.

Trifle
A trifle is actually quite similar to a Tiramisu, in that it's a layered dessert consisting of (sponge)cake soaked in liquor (sherry). Normally with fruit/ jelly, custard, cream and normally lavishly decorated. It is great if you have some (sponge) cake to use up. Or you have some frozen fruit lurking in the freezer.
This one is very easy but quite authentic tasting, with just one layer of each ingredient. You could make more layers. An alternative is to set the jelly and then 'chop' it up, this makes layering the dessert much easier.
I love mascarpone and used it instead of cream but you could of course use (whipped)cream instead. Because I used frozen fruit it set very quickly. It certainly doesn’t have to be left overnight, within an hour it had set.

Quick Trifle
1 jelly (or 10gr gelatine and sugar/ fruit juice to taste, avoiding kiwi, pineapple, papaya, these are fruits that interfere with the setting process)
200gr sponge cake
250gr forest fruits (frozen)
250gr mascarpone
2-3 tbsp custard powder
milk 400-500ml
sugar to sweeten (couple of tsp should be sufficient)
vanille vla
jam
100ml sherry
amaretto cookies (optional)
Decorations (nuts, sprinkles)
Serves 8

Dissolve jelly cubes in 250ml boiling water. Top up to 500ml (with ice cubes)
Cut cake into slices and place on bottom of glass dish. Pour over sherry and leave until soaked in.
Spread the frozen fruit (reserving a few for decoration) over cake and spread a little jam. By now the (jelly) liquid should be cold.
Pour slowly over fruit. Place in fridge, it should set very quickly due to frozen fruit.
Make custard, a bit thicker than you normally would. You could use part thick custard and part add Dutch vanilla vla like I did, this would speed up the cooling process. Bear in mind that it will thicken as it cools. If the custard is too thick add a bit more vla.
If your custard is too thin add some amaretto cookies. Leave your custard to cool, 'cover' with cling film to avoid the formation of surface skin which will lead to lumpy custard.
I added some amaretto cookies to give it some more flavour.
When the custard is cool, carefully spread over jelly. Beat mascarpone in a bowl with a little vla (couple tbsp) and spread on top of the trifle . Decorate with the reserved fruit, or nuts, sprinkles as you wish. Refrigerate.

These desserts certainly look impressive, only you have to know just how easy they are!

Something old, something new

This weekend I decided to make pumpkin soup again (perhaps you have seen my Thai inspired pumpkin soup) but this time I used Thai GREEN curry paste. Otherwise I almost kept to the same ingredients.
Since my trip to Thailand earlier this year I have been inspired by Thai food. It is certainly a style of food that has been growing on me. Before my holiday I rarely cooked Eastern dishes and didn't even own a wok! Now I always have two pots of the basic curry paste: green and red on hand. Basically it is a mix of lemongrass, red (for red curry paste) or green chilli (for green curry paste) garlic, galangal, onion, salt, bergamot and coriander. You certainly don't have to feel guilty using paste since it is quite accepted, although you could start from scratch. I use paste and extra fresh ingredients, I will be posting a Thai curry recipe very soon on my blog. Watch this space.
As I didn't have any orange juice on hand I decided to use apple juice, which is quite an unusual combination since I don't recall seeing any apple's in Thailand! I needn't have worried because here is the result- an empty pan, I didn't even get time to get it on picture!
Thai inspired Pumpkin soup 2
1 small biological pumpkin ( or butternut).
1 large onion
fresh green chili pepper (to taste) I used about 1/4
Thai green curry paste (to taste) I used 1 heaped tbsp.
1 clove garlic
Oil (olive)
Coriander (ground, to taste)
500ml stock (chicken or vegetable)
200ml apple juice
1/2 - 1 tin (200- 400ml) coconut milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
Serving suggestions: pumpkin seed oil (or creme fraiche, knob of butter)
Serves 4
Method:
Cut the pumpkin in slices, remove peel, (you can use a potato peeler) stringy parts and seeds, discard. Chop the flesh in pieces. Dice the onion. De-seed the pepper and finely chop. Heat a little oil in a large pan. Fry the onion and green pepper for a few minutes. Add the curry paste (to personal taste). Stir and add the pumpkin, garlic (chopped) and fry for a few more minutes. Add salt, black pepper and coriander to taste. Add orange juice and coconut milk and heat through. Add stock and bring to boil, simmer for 15- 20 minutes (until pumpkin is soft, a little longer if you are using a butternut). Cool slightly and blend. Reheat. Serve with topping of choice. I added some pumpkin seed oil and it was amazing!
(I used just a half tin of coconut milk that was leftover but feel free to add a whole one.)

I have been very much dreaming of desserts lately which is very unusual for me, since normally I am quite satisfied with some yoghurt at the end of a meal. I very much hope to make a Tiramisu soon and a good old English Trifle. But because the Kwark-Cheese cake was so good I decided to make another one. In my opinion a little bit of what you fancy does you good; Food cravings could well be a sign of deficiencies in specific nutrients- well that's my excuse ;-)
This time I made it easier by replacing the cottage cheese (which needed to be sieved) with Philadelphia cheese ( I used ‘light’). I think it was even better! My craving has been satisfied.

Lemon Kwark-Cheesecake 2
10 digestive biscuits (180gr) Last time I used Verkade, this time I used AH brand and needed more than 10 to get the same weight.
85gr butter
2-3 tsp brown sugar
500gr kwark (low of high fat to choice) I used organic kwark, low fat
185gr Philadelphia cheese (I used light)
1 small carton cream (200ml)
80gr castor sugar (or more for a sweeter cheesecake)
juice and grated rind of 2 small or 1 large lemon
10gr gelatine, 6 sheets
Water
1 spring form, lined. 20cm (last time I used 24cm)
Compote (topping)
Method:
Break up biscuits in a plastic bag with rolling pin (or pestle, which I prefer to use). Heat butter in a small pan until melted. Add biscuit crumbs and brown sugar (optional). Press in the base of a spring form with the back of a spoon. Cool in refrigerator. Beat the kwark until smooth. Add the Philadelphia cheese, sugar and lemon rind, mix. Soak the gelatine in a little water for 5 minutes. Heat the lemon juice (do not boil!) stir in (drained) gelatine and mix until everything has dissolved, heating if necessary but do not boil. Leave to cool slightly. Whip the cream until stiff, being careful not to over whip! Add cooled gelatine to kwark mixture and stir carefully but thoroughly. Fold in cream. Pour into baking tin. I lined mine with baking paper. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Add topping just before serving. I used a mix of compote and jam.



Today I lost track of time needed to come up with a meal in minutes, so it just had to be a 15 minute pastaThis recipe was based on a quiche I made years ago. The combination of butter, mushrooms and sherry is very satisfying.
Smoked chicken pasta in a mushroom and sherry sauce
300gr pasta of choice
200gr smoked chicken pieces (or pre-cooked chicken breast)
2 small spring onions
250gr chestnut mushrooms thickly sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
White sauce (40gr butter, 40gr cornflour, 400ml milk)
Salt Pepper
fresh parsley and celery herb, finely chopped
sherry 2-3 tbsp (to taste!)
butter/olive oil
carton creme fraiche 200ml
Serves 4
Method:
Boil a large pan of water.
Heat a good knob of butter (or olive oil) and gently cook chopped celery. Remove celery and set aside. Cook pasta for time indicated on packet.(al dente- with a bite)
Make a roux sauce with butter, cornflour and milk. Add mushrooms, cook gently for a few minutes. Add celery, seasoning, sherry, chicken, creme fraiche and lastly spring onion and herbs. Heat thoroughly.
Serve with a fresh mixed salad, and walnuts. I added a dash of pumpkin seed oil. Delicious! This wonderful oil, known as 'green gold' deserves more than a mention and I will be addressing this very soon.

Lemon Non-Bake Kwark-Cheesecake

From unpleasant to plate licking good!
Kwark.
This is a very intriguing product, what exactly is kwark? Well actually it's a soft curd cheese (in French it is Fromage Frais, in English Quark) with a slightly grainy texture, a little bit similar to Ricotta. It is low in calories and cholesterol, sounds very healthy but how does it taste? Hmm well actually…very strange indeed.
During my weekly shopping trips I have often wondered who actually buys 'kwark' and what on earth they do with it. (Until today coincidentally), I have never seen a person with plain French kwark (low or full fat) or in their shopping trolley, or in their fridge come to that. Yet surprisingly it has remains on the shelves of the supermarket, (practically in the same packaging) for decades. One day my curiosity got the better of me and my first purchase remains grafted in my memory forever, oh boy what a surprise! It tasted horrible, sour and very unpleasant. Now I generally like natural yoghurt and never add sugar, but with kwark it was necessary to add heaps of sugar before it was even palatable (and it still remained unpleasant). I have hardly ever come across it in recipes; it remains very much a mystery.
Incidentally it must not be confused with Creme Fraiche which I would compare to sour cream, with the benefit that it heat tolerant, it never separates. If you buy a very good one, it can be almost compared to Mascarpone and is delicious with fresh fruit.
Last weekend I decided to put together a recipe with kwark. In the supermarkets you can buy packet mixes for 'kwarktaart' by Oetker. Since I never use mixes, as they seem to contain absolutely nothing judging by the list of ingredients you need to add yourself! I created a recipe, my twist on a kwark come cheesecake, and do you know I think it worked!
I chose to make a non-bake cheesecake, without eggs (unfound or not I still worry about eating raw eggs no matter how fresh they are!). It is lighter than a normal cheesecake; you could substitute the cottage cheese for Monchou or Philadelphia for a richer taste with more calories.

Lemon Kwark-Cheesecake.
10 digestive biscuits (180gr)
85gr butter
2-3 tsp sugar (optional)
500gr kwark (low of high fat to choice) I used organic kwark, low fat
200gr cottage cheese, sieved
1 small carton cream (200ml)
80gr castor sugar (or more for a sweeter cheesecake)
Juice and grated rind of 2 small or 1 large lemon
Gelatine, 6 sheets (about 10gr, more as desired, depending on how firm you prefer)
Water
1 spring form, lined.
Compote (topping)

Method:
Break up biscuits in a plastic bag with rolling pin (or pestle, which I prefer to use)until they resemble breadcrumbs. Heat butter in a small pan until melted. Add biscuit crumbs and sugar (optional). Press in the base of a spring form (mine was 24cm) with a spoon. Cool in refrigerator. Beat the kwark until smooth. Add the sieved cottage cheese, sugar and lemon rind, mix. Soak the gelatine in a little water for 5 minutes. Heat the lemon juice (do not boil!) stir in gelatine and mix until everything has dissolved, heating if necessary but do not boil. Leave to cool slightly. Whip the cream until stiff, being careful not to over whip! Add cooled gelatine to kwark mixture and stir carefully but thoroughly. Fold in cream. Pour into baking tin. I lined the sides of mine with Teflon foil but you could use baking paper. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Add topping just before serving. I used a mix of compote and jam.
Apologies for the poor photograph. I was anxious to tuck in!