There are two kinds of people in the world. You can identify them by saying “banoffee pie”. One kind of person will light up and grab a spoon, the other kind will look a little concerned and perhaps hand you a tissue.

For the uninitiated, banoffee pie is a wonderfully soft, sweet pie, with layers of dulce de leche, banana and whipped cream. It comes together shockingly easily and with minimal fuss. You will not regret this.

I had never tried this kind of pie before, but this is a special occasion. On the 14th day of the 3rd month of the year, we gather friends and family together and celebrate one of the few constants in the world, that no matter what else is going on, the distance around the outside of the pie is a little more than 3 times the distance straight across. Whether you celebrate with apple, cherry, or banoffi, happy Pi Day!

Makes: 1 pie

Ingredients:

• Pie crust
  • 1 cup AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, really cold and cut into cubes
  • 5 tbsp ice water (approximately)
  • Special equipment – pie weights or a pie dish of dry beans you don’t plan to eat
• Filling
  • 1 recipe dulce de leche
  • 2 bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick slices
• Whipped Cream Topping
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Prepare pie crust
   • Before you start, see the note below about baking the pie crust.
   • In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together flour (1 cup), salt (1/2 tsp), and sugar (1 tsp)
   • Add cubed butter (1/2 cup)
   • Using the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is broken up and the mixture resembles clumpy cornmeal (better to undermix than overmix)
   • Switch to the dough hook
   • Add water 1 spoonful at a time until dough just comes together
   • Pat into a flat round, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour
   • Roll out pie dough and place in pie dish, poke several holes in the bottom with a fork, then trim the edges, do whatever fancy things you like with the edges, and cover lightly with the same plastic wrap, refrigerate for another half an hour
   • Preheat oven to 350 degrees f
   • Line pie crust with parchment, fill with pie weights, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the pie crust turns golden brown and is fully baked
   • Set aside and let cool
2. Prepare whipped cream
   • Pour whipping cream (1 cup), sugar (2 tbsp) and vanilla (1/2 tsp) into bowl of stand mixer
   • Whip with the wire whisk until stiff peaks form and you have whipped cream – do not overdo it or you will end up with sweet butter
3. Assemble
   • Remove the pie weights and parchment from the pie crust
   • Fill the pie crust with dulce de leche
   • Arrange the banana slices on top – you can be as artful as you want here or not, they will be covered with whipped cream
   • Cover with whipping cream
4. Wait
   • Time for the hard part – refrigerate for at least 2 hours before digging in

Notes:

• You will be baking the pie crust empty. This is called blind baking, but don’t worry, you are allowed to watch what you are doing! The trick with blind baking is that the pie crust is prone to some misbehaviour in the oven. The middle might try to puff up and at the same time the sides might shrink down. There are things you can do to reduce this though.
  • The pie weights will help with holding the middle down, and the holes you poke with a fork will let the air out.
  • The less you handle the pie dough and the more you let it rest in the fridge, both before and after you roll it out, the less it might shrink.
• If the pie crust does shrink, puff up, or otherwise run amok, don’t worry. Whipped cream hides many sins.