My Layered Banoffee 'Bol'...

Couple of ripe bananas in my store and been wondering what to do with them. Almost decided on banana bread...but wait! What is this thing called Banoffee?? Came across this name on one of the blogs and went browsing through the net to find out that this is actually a classic English dessert! Banoffee - BANana + tOFFEE; is a very simple dessert which can be made in an instantif you have store bought Dolce de Lueche (yea, even I was like 'now what is this thing!') which literally means 'sweet of milk' and pronounced as 'Dolchay the Lushay'. Most of the recipes I saw suggest a simple method to make home made Dulce de Lueche : by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk making sure that the can is completely immersed in water all the time. Otherwise the can will get heated and explode; then probably you may have to scrape it off your kitchen ceiling :D Well, this method didn't quite appeal to me so I have made this in another simple yet safe method which you can see below in my recipe.

The classic Banoffee is made with a pie crust layered with Dolce de Lueche, banana slices and whipped cream. It was interesting to see how this simple recipe has been conceptualized in various forms on different sites! I always like semi - sweet desserts and in small servings. The idea of making a pie (bake or no-bake) seemed a bit overwhelming for me so I decided to make something like a trifle in my favourite dessert 'bol' (bol is the French for bowl by the way). I don't like whipped cream so I have substituted it with mascarpone cheese (love the taste of it in Tiramisu, thought I will give it a try). So here is my way of enjoying a simple banoffee treat!

Layered Banoffee 'Bol': Recipe

Ingredients: (2 servings)

For  Dulce de Lueche:

• Condensed milk - 1 can of 397g
• Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
• Butter - about 85g

For layering:

• Digestive biscuits - 3 crumbled
• Banana - 1 ripe thinly sliced
• Mascarpone Cheese - 125g
• Yogurt - 2 tbsp
• Walnuts for garnish

 Method:

1. To make Dulce de Lueche: Melt butter in a sauce pan and then add the brown sugar. Once it is melted and starts to caramalize add the condensed milk and keep stirring. When it starts to boil reduce the heat and keep stirring for about 5 - 10 minutes till it reaches a thick consistency similar to toffee. Set aside.
2. Whisk the mascarpone cheese to soften it and then mix in the yogurt. You will get a nice creamy mixture. 
3. Toast the walnuts slightly in a dry heated pan and crush them.
4. In the serving bowl, first layer the crumbled digestive biscuits. Then add a dollop of Dulce de Lueche - spread it around slightly. 
5. Add a layer of sliced bananas and top it off with the mascarpone cheese - yogurt mixture. Garnish with walnuts and then simply dig in (You can serve this immediately or chill it in the refrigerator till ready to serve). Ah!...a divine decadent dessert; I am sure you will agree :)
6. Just to add: This is a layered dessert so make sure you get all the layers when you dig in. Also for people with a 'sweet tooth' (like my hubby!) you may want to add some sugar in the mascarpone mix also to satisfy your cravings. The Dolce de Lueche is extremely sweet so I prefer it my way.

Linking this to "Valentine Fest - Served with Love" & "Dish For Loved Ones" & Midweek Fiesta#15 by Food Corner: