Sometimes when I’m making a sandwich, I think of my dad.
When I was in high school, my dad would help make me little breakfast sandwiches to eat in the car, or he would help make my lunch. And he would make the sandwiches the same way I make sandwiches now: carefully, evenly spreading whatever spread or condiment is being used, making sure that all four corners of each sandwich bread is covered evenly.
Sometimes when I catch myself looking at a little post-it note in my purse, where I jotted down a quick list of to-do’s (maybe a grocery list, or a list of errands I need to attend to for the weekend), I think of my dad. I see an image of him quickly glancing down at a little a scrap of paper in his pocket. He’s a list-maker, too.
And sometimes, actually most of the time, whenever I eat gelato, I think of my dad, too. When we went to Italy a few years ago, we ate gelato every single day. My mom took one of my favorite photos ever: me and my dad eating gelato, side by side, grinning and looking satisfied. You can see it in this older blog post I wrote for Father’s Day, where I also said that desserts made with bananas make me think of my dad, as well.
This is the first time I made Banoffee Pie, and I virtually dedicate it to my dad. Right now we’re continents apart, but because we are so alike, and because he is my dad, I just know that he’d love to have a slice (or two).
Banoffee Pie is traditionally made with crushed biscuits, sticky toffee (or dulce de leche), bananas, and whipped cream. But this recipe is extra special, because it has an added layer of salted chocolate ganache. Extra special, just like my dad.
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (13 oz) can dulce de leche
3 bananas
3 cups whipped cream (from approximately 1 1/2 cups heavy cream)
4 oz dark chocolate with sea salt (I used Lindt A Touch of Sea Salt Bar; you can also just use plain dark chocolate plus 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt) plus 2 more oz, chopped, for topping
1/2 cup heavy cream
When I sliced into this Salted Chocolate Banoffee Pie, I realized that underbaked the crust a little and it didn’t set properly. One of my favorite things about pie is the crust, and as I scraped off the extra graham cracker bits from the plate and topped my pie with it, I thought of my dad, again. He likes pie crust a lot, too. I really am my father’s daughter, and I couldn’t be happier. He is my idol, my hero, and my number one banana dessert companion.
Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! I love you!