Banana and Toffee Pie

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A ginger and pecan pie shell is filled with a deliciously smooth toffee custard and topped with sliced bananas. Whipped cream is then dolloped on top and garnished with chopped pecans.


Banana and Toffee Pie

  • Preparation time: 40 minutes
  • Chilling time: 50 minutes
  • Cooling time: 5 minutes
  • Ingredients
  • For the crust
  • 255 g (9 oz) ginger snap biscuits/cookies
  • 55 g (2 oz) pecans, toasted (½ cup)
  • 115 g (4 oz) butter (½ cup, or 1 stick), melted
  • For the filling
  • 70 g (2½ oz) butter (⅓ cup)
  • 225 g (8 oz) dark muscovado/soft dark brown sugar, lightly packed (1 cup)
  • 3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
  • 240 ml (8 fl oz) milk (1 cup)
  • 3 eggs, large (U.K.)/extra large (N.A.), yolks only
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • For the topping
  • 180 ml (6 fl oz) double cream/whipping or heavy cream (¾ cup)
  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 14 g (½ oz) pecans, roughly chopped (2 tbsp)

Equipment

  • You will also need a 23 cm (9 inch) loose bottomed tin or springform pan.
  • Method
  • For the crust
  • Break the biscuit/cookies into a food processor and add the pecans.
  • Pulse until the crumbs are really small (the texture of coarse sand).
  • Add the melted butter until the crumbs are nicely coated.
  • Tip into the tin or pan. Using the base of a glass, pack them down to evenly coat the base and also create a rim, 2.5 cm (1 inch), up the sides to form a pie shell.
  • Chill for 30 minutes.
  • For the filling
  • Meanwhile melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat.
  • Add the sugar and dissolve over a low heat, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
  • Put the cornflour/cornstarch into a small bowl and mix with ¼ of the milk, until the cornflour/cornstarch has dissolved.
  • Gradually stir the milk and cornstarch mixture into the butter and sugar until smooth.
  • Return to a medium–high heat and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. The mixture should now have thickened.
  • Cook for a further minute, stirring constantly.
  • Remove from the heat and immediately beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  • Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Give it a quick stir and then spoon into the pie shell and level the surface.
  • Chill for 20 minutes.
  • For the topping
  • Slice the bananas and decoratively cover the toffee custard.
  • Whip the cream until soft peaks form and cover the bananas, leaving the outer ring of bananas exposed.
  • Decorate the cream with the chopped nuts.
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Banana Breakfast Muffins

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Banana Breakfast Muffins

Want something different from toast for breakfast? Try these tasty muffins. They are full of goodness with bananas, milk, yogurt, bran and more. Just halve, spread with butter and enjoy.

Banana Breakfast Muffins

12 muffins
  • Preparation time: 25 minutes
  • Cooking time: 13–15 minutes
  • Ingredients
  • 2 very ripe bananas
  • 1 egg, large (U.K.)/extra large (N.A.)
  • 120 ml (4 fl oz) milk (½ cup)
  • 120 ml (4 fl oz) natural yogurt (½ cup)
  • 3 tbsp flavourless oil
  • 1½ tsp vanilla essence/extract
  • 140 g (5 oz) plain/all-purpose flour (1 cup)
  • 140 g (5 oz) wholemeal/wholewheat flour (1 cup)
  • 70 g (2½ oz) light muscovado/soft, light brown sugar (⅓ cup)
  • 28 g (1 oz) wheat bran (⅔ cup)
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate soda/baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Equipment

  • You will also need a 12-hole bun tray/muffin pan.


  • Method
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) (gas 6).

  • Either lightly grease the bun tray/muffin pan or line with paper cups.
  • Now peel and mash the bananas (a potato masher makes this easy).

  • Then whisk the egg in a small bowl.
  • Add the milk, yogurt, oil, and vanilla extract to the egg and whisk in.
  • Now add the bananas and blend into the mixture.
  • In a separate large bowl sift the flours and mix together.
  • Now add all the remaining ingredients (except for the banana mixture) and mix in well.
  • Finally stir in the banana mixture.
  • Spoon into the cups using an ice cream scoop.
  • Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
  • Cool muffins in the bun tray/muffin pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack/cooling rack.

Note

  • They freeze well.
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Individual Banoffee Pavlovas

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Individual Banoffee Pavlovas

These scrumptious pavlovas have a base of meringue topped with cream, toffee sauce and sliced bananas, then decorated with chocolate swirls.

Individual Banoffee Pavlovas

4 pavlovas
  • Preparation time: 30 minutes
  • Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

  • Ingredients
  • For the meringues
  • 2 eggs, large (U.K.)/extra large (N.A.), whites only
  • 115 g (4 oz) caster/white sugar (½ cup + 1 tbsp)
  • 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
  • ½ tsp white wine vinegar

  • For the cream topping
  • 150 ml (5 fl oz) double/whipping or heavy cream (⅔ cup)
  • For the banoffee topping
  • 90 ml (3 fl oz) Dulce de Leche (a creamy caramel sauce) (⅓ cup)
  • 2 bananas

  • For the chocolate swirls
  • 55 g (2 oz) plain/dark chocolate

Equipment

  • You will also need a small disposable piping bag.


  • Method
  • Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F) (gas 1)

  • To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Sprinkle over the cornflour/cornstarch and vinegar and whisk in.

  • Using the meringue from the whisk, dab a little in each corner of a large baking tray/sheet. Now line it with baking parchment. (The meringue will keep the lining in place).

  • Then spoon four separate large spoonfuls of meringue onto the paper and flatten to make circles about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick.
  • Bake for 1¼ hours, until the meringues can be lifted off the paper easily. Leave to cool.

  • Break the chocolate into small pieces and place half in a bowl over a pan of just simmering water. When melted remove from the heat and add the remaining chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the consistency is smooth. Set aside to cool a little.

  • Next, whip the cream until it is thick, then gently spread over the meringues.

  • Measure the Dulce de Leche into a small bowl. Now slice the bananas and add to the bowl. Stir to coat the bananas with the caramel and spoon over the cream layer.

  • Spoon the chocolate into the piping bag and snip off the end to give a small opening. Pipe a zig-zag pattern over the bananas.

  • They can be chilled for up to one hour. Any longer and the bananas will start to discolour.
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Updated: August 1, 2018

Banana and Maple Syrup Sundaes

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Banana and Maple Syrup Sundaes

For these delicious sundaes, banana slices are coated in maple syrup, mixed with vanilla ice cream and crushed meringue shells, then topped with whipped cream and decorated with chocolate, a cherry, and a wafer.

4 servings
  • Preparation time: 15 minutes or 25 minutes if making the meringues
  • Cooking time if making meringues: 1hr 15mins

  • Ingredients
  • For the sundaes
  • 2 bananas
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 3 small meringue nests roughly crushed*
  • 8 small scoops vanilla ice cream
  • 150 m 5 fl oz double cream/whipping or heavy cream (⅔ cup)
  • 1 tbsp grated plain/dark chocolate
  • 4 glacé cherries
  • 4 fan wafers U.K. only. I have been unable to locate anything similar in Canada

  • *This dish is a great way to use up any leftover meringue. However if making the meringues especially for this dish, follow the recipe below and prepare them first.

  • For the meringues
  • 1 egg large (U.K.)/extra large (N.A.), white only
  • 55 g 2 oz caster sugar/superfine sugar (¼ cup + ½ tbsp)
  • You will also need 4 sundae glasses.


  • Method
  • For the meringues
  • Preheat oven to cool, 140°C (275°F) (gas 1)

  • Whisk the egg white in a grease-free bowl until stiff.
  • Then gradually whisk in the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well between each addition, until stiff and glossy.
  • Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Dab a little meringue on each corner of the baking sheet first to keep the lining in place.

  • Spoon 3 mounds of meringue onto the baking paper. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes. The meringues should now lift easily from the paper. If you have time, leave them to dry out in the oven with the door slightly ajar, as the oven cools down. This will ensure the meringues are crisp all the way through.
  • For the sundaes
  • Slice the bananas into a bowl. Then add the maple syrup and stir to coat the banana slices.

  • Roughly crush the meringues.
  • Whip the cream until stiff.

  • Now divide the banana slices, ice cream, and meringue pieces between the four sundae glasses, layering as you go.
  • Top each sundae with a spoonful of the whipped cream.

  • Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, then decorate with a glacé cherry and a fan wafer.
  • Serve immediately.
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Updated: June 22, 2018