Banoffee Parfaits

A few years back, I featured a recipe for banoffee pie. For those unfamiliar, banoffee pie is an amazing—and amazingly simple—combination of bananas, whipped cream, and dulce de leche (milk caramel) that everyone should try. However, I'm pretty sure nobody made the pie.

Show of hands: who made the pie?

See? Nobody.

So today, I'm offering you an even easier way to make this pie—by removing the pie aspect altogether and layering the filling components inside mason jars or wine glasses or whatever containers you happen to have at hand.

Since I got rid of the graham cracker crust, I inserted little Swedish ginger cookies between the layers (delicious!), but you could also use actual graham crackers, digestive biscuits, or Maria cookies. Break them up if you have to. You can buy dulce de leche already made in little cans in the Latin American section of the supermarket (you'll want to heat it up a little to loosen it slightly), or you can make your own by boiling the hell out of a can of condensed milk (remove the label, boil the can for 3 hours making sure the water level never falls below the top of the can, and let it cool completely before opening). If you're local, Fat Toad Farm in Vermont makes a killer cajeta (dulce de leche made from goat's milk). Russo's stocks it sometimes.

Then, slice some bananas thickly. Whip some cream (no sugar required, though a dribble of vanilla never hurts). Layer it all together and top it with chocolate shavings, a dusting of cocoa, or chopped pecans.

It's delicious and easy. Husband ate two.

Comments

[Phoebe]

That's frighteningly attractive.

[Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic]

I love banoffee pie and this easy (and adorable) version is going on my to-do list soon!!

[Hoot]

I made it last night, but used sweetened condensed milk (all I had) and it didn't taste quite right. Would that have made such a difference?

[Tammy]

Hoot: I think all condensed milk is sweetened. Was it the boiling water method you tried? And are you saying the dulce de leche didn't taste like dulce de leche or the whole thing didn't taste like banoffee pie? Often, banoffee pie filling is made with (sweetened) condensed milk, butter, and brown sugar (like the original pie recipe referenced above). That may be more what you're used to. This was sort of a cheater's version.

[Hoot]

Oh. Sorry to be so vague.
The parfait was fine (the cream and bananas helped mask the taste), it was the dulce de leche. I boiled it (submerged) for 3 hours and let it cool. It just tasted like....condensed milk. It looked fine (and promising), but the taste was not what I expected.
In my mind, I was going to sneak away with the remnants of the dulce de leche amidst adulations from my husband and children telling me what an awesome dessert I made and how wonderful I am. Didn't happen and the can is still in the fridge.

[Tammy]

Oh, bummer. I hope I didn't misremember the boiling time. Was the dulce de leche a deep tan color?