• Maybe this is not what you would expect as a typical winter pudding but we thought it’s the perfect heart-warming dessert. 

    Individual banoffee pies with flambéed bananas and cream

    Serves: Makes 8 individual tartlets
    Total Time: 1 hour

    Maybe this is not what you would expect as a typical winter pudding but I thought it warming enough to include.

    Ingredients

    • CRUST

    • 200g ginger biscuits
    • 100g butter, melted
    • 30ml ginger syrup
    • 3ml ground ginger
    • FILLING

    • 500ml milk
    • 50ml cold butter
    • 50ml cornflour
    • 3 jumbo egg yolks
    • 1 x 360g tin caramel
    • CREAM

    • 250ml single whipping cream
    • 30ml icing sugar
    • 30ml rum
    • FLAMBÉED BANANAS

    • 4 large ripe but firm bananas
    • 25ml butter
    • 50ml muscovado sugar
    • 50ml rum

    Instructions

    1

    For the crust, process the biscuits, butter, syrup and spice in a food processor until finely crumbed.

    2

    Line individual loose-bottomed tartlet pans with this mixture, using a spoon to press it down the base and sides.

    3

    For the filling, bring the milk and 25ml of the butter to the boil in a medium-sized heavy-bottomed frying pan. Stir often to prevent the milk from burning.

    4

    In a separate, heat-resistant bowl, whisk together the cornflour, egg yolks and caramel. Pour the boiling hot milk over the caramel mixture while whisking continuously, and return this mixture to the pot.

    5

    Slowly bring to the boil, stirring continuously to prevent the custard from burning, and cook until it starts to thicken. Remove the pot from the heat and scrape the hot custard into a cold, clean bowl. Stir in the remaining butter. Cool the custard in an ice bath. Stir every now and then to prevent a skin from forming. Divide the cold custard equally between the 8 tartlet pans and refrigerate until required.

    6

    Prepare the cream by making sure that the whipping cream is well chilled. Whisk the cream until soft-peak stage before adding the icing sugar and whisking it until stiff. Be careful not to overbeat the cream into a buttery mess. Lastly fold in the rum.

    7

    Just before serving, flambé the bananas and cut them diagonally into rounds. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sprinkle with muscovado sugar. Add the bananas and quickly fry until they just start to turn golden brown. Pour the rum over and light. Once all the alcohol has burnt away the flavour of the rum should be intensified, which will spice the bananas. Serve immediately on top of the caramel custard tartlets and top with the cream.

    Notes

    The pie crust and caramel custard can be made a day or two before and kept in the fridge until required.

    Imka Webb
    Author

    Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine.  www.imkawebb.com