January Punch - Banoffee Pie

I was thrilled to see the January Punch that Divya had posted for the group. I had never tried a pie before and I was glad to be trying something very simple; or so it seemed. I went through the recipe and thought that this would be a breeze to make :). 

Except for the Dulce de Leche part, that is. I had never made it before, I had not even tried a store bought one; and frankly I did not know what it looks and tastes like. So I was skeptical about how it would turn out. Finally the idea of boiling the can of condensed milk for 3 hours on a gas top, was not at all appealing... I am going green... I try to reduce electricity, gas and paper consumption as much as possible... I just want to do my bit for the environment. Of course, this does not include, hours of laptop charging and blogging while on the internet ;)

So I took the easy route out... I decided to make Dulce de Leche in the microwave. Here is what I did.

Ingredients: 
Condensed Milk-1 can (400gm)
Bananas-3nos, large
Whipped Cream-2 cups
Digestive biscuits/ Marie biscuit-200gms
Butter-100gms
Grated chocolate or Cocoa powder to decorate
Chocolate sauce to drizzle on top (optional)

Method:

Dulce de Leche
Traditional Method:
To make Dulce de Leche (pronounced dulchay the laychay), put the can of condensed milk, unopened, in a large pan, cover with water, bring to boiling point and boil for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water from a kettle as needed. Ensure that the can remains covered in water, as otherwise there is a risk of the can bursting open. Remove and leave to cool completely.
You can make this ahead of time or even boil several tins at one go and store the unopened
in the fridge for several months. This is the traditional way of making Dulce de Leche which I decided to pass for the reasons stated above.
Microwave method:
So to make the Dulce de Leche in the microwave I followed the procedure below:

Pour the contents of a condensed milk can into a deep microwave proof bowl. Microwave on medium power for 2 minutes. Stir. Continue to microwave and stir till the condensed milk becomes thick and caramel coloured. This is the quickest way of making dulce de leche; it took me all of 18 mins to make the dulce de leche in my microwave. Also, it allows you better control over how thick and caramel coloured you want your dulce de leche to be. You have to maintain a near constant vigil next to the microwave. Although I did watch it very closely, I think I did this for a couple of minutes too long in the microwave. I had no idea what the texture should be like and as my Dulce de Leche cooled down, it was not of spreadable consistency. It was a much thicker than that. I had to melt it once again before using.

Banoffee Pie
Mix melted butter and powdered biscuit. Line a pie dish with this mixture and keep it in the fridge for some time. (For a crunchy biscuit base you can bake this for 10 minutes at 160oC. I did this.).

Spread the Dulce de Leche over the layer of biscuit.
Peel and thinly slice the bananas, and arrange in a layer over the toffee.

Whip the cream until thick and stiff and spread over the bananas.

Finally, decorate with grated chocolate or dust the cocoa powder on top using a sieve. I used only grated chocolate.

Whipping cream:

I used Amul cream (200ml) and a can (150ml) of Nestle honey flavoured cream. I chilled the cream for several hours. I also chilled the beaters and the stainless steel utensil for 20 minutes. I poured out the cream and whipped on medium speed for 2 minutes. Then I added a couple of tablespoons of sugar and a spoon of melted butter and whipped on high speed for 5 minutes. I put the whipped cream in the fridge until I needed it.

Verdict: A word of caution. This pie is extremely calorific. You cannot slice this into smaller portions else the layers will not show up and if you end up eating one full portion, then you just cannot have your next meal :). That said, this is a delicious dessert item and very easy to put together provided you have the ingredients on hand.