Banoffee Pie

With just-ripe-enough bananas, bittersweet toffee, and heaps of whipped cream, this classic British dessert deserves a place at your table. Many recipes call for canned dulce de leche, but our filling relies on a chewy homemade caramel sauce, which adds a smoky allure and intensity that you won’t get otherwise. Combining burnt sugar with butter, then stirring in store-bought sweetened condensed milk, creates an eye-rollingly-good pie filling that cuts cleanly into beautiful slices. We also tossed in a layer of salted nuts (peanuts or cashews), which gives the toffee a PayDay candy bar vibe; you can leave them out if you prefer.

Sturdy digestive biscuits make the traditional cookie crust for this cream pie, but plain old graham crackers are a ready substitute. Use a food processor to ensure the crackers are crushed to fine crumbs, then pulse in melted butter and a bit of sugar. The sugar melts during the pie crust’s quick bake, helping hold the graham cracker crumbs together. (If you must use a rolling pin to crush the grahams, know that doing so will result in larger, more irregular pieces that are more likely to crumble when sliced—not a deal-breaker but not ideal.)

Choose ripe bananas that are fully yellow, maybe with a brown speckle or two. Steer clear of fruit with hints of green (too starchy) or with too many spots (too mushy). As for the crowning glory, the addition of sour cream and instant vanilla pudding mix easily transforms a puddle of cold heavy cream into a flavorful cloud, its texture almost like whipped cheesecake. Aim for firm peaks (just shy of stiff peaks). Homemade whipped cream provides enough drama in this banoffee pie recipe, but should you want a few dark chocolate shavings (made with a Y-peeler and a bar of chocolate), a dusting of cocoa powder, or more sliced bananas perched atop the cream, all make for a fine garnish.