COOKING WITH KEVIN DUNDON

THERE'S NOTHING sweeter than a lovely Banoffi Pie, with it's lovely biscuit base, sweet creamy caramel and topped with slices of banana and whipped cream.

This recipe does take a bit of time to make as the tins of condensed milk have to be put in a pan a water, then bring to the boil and then simmer of a low heat for 4 - 5 hours to get that creamy caramel, however be sure the tins are fully immersed in water at all time or you could end up with some discoloration.

To make the biscuit base I prefer to use a food processor to blitz the biscuits, I use digestives but I know that Oreo's can make a very rich base too (just lessen the quantity of butter), this is not for the fainthearted though, it's very rich. When you add the melted butter to the biscuit crumbs it should have the texture and appearance of wet sand. Pour the buttery crumbs into the base of your loose base baking tray, then when cooled you can add a layer of banana, or else pour the caramel on the base and top with banana. Whip the cream and either pipe or spoon onto the pie. You can decorate the top with some grated chocolate or a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

So with the excitement building as the younger children head back to school, this treat is sure to put a smile on their faces. Serve a small portion though as this is a very sweet treat, you can always go back for more!

BANOFFEE PIE (SERVES 6)

Biscuit Base: 400g Digestive biscuits 175g butter Topping: 2 cans condensed milk 4 large bananas 350ml cream 50g Chocolate, melted

200ml Whipped Cream to serve.

Using either a food processor or a plastic bag and a rolling pin, crush the biscuits into small pieces.

Do not make them too fine as it's nice to leave a little crunch in the base.

Melt the butter and add it into the biscuits to bind them together. The mixture should not be too wet at this stage.

Press this mixture into a 10 inch cheesecake (spring form) tin and place into the fridge to set for a few minutes whilst you make up the topping.

The condensed milk preferably should be prepared the day before to allow it to cool down and extreme caution must be taken in this process.

Place the tins of condensed milk into a large saucepan and cover fully with water. It is important to ensure that they are continuously covered with water. Bring the water to the boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approximately 4 - 5 hours. Remove from the heat and allow the cans of condensed milk to cool in the water, preferably overnight.

Open the cans of condensed milk and spread the caramel over the prepared biscuit base. This should give a lovely thick layer of sweet caramel. Next peel and slice the bananas, and place a layer on top of the caramel. Next add the whipped cream, then drizzle with the melted chocolate. Transfer the entire dessert to the fridge for at least one hour to set. Remove the cake from the tin and transfer onto a serving platter. Decorate with some fresh berries and serve. (Optional).