banoffee meringue

The label says 'luxuriously creamy, rich and smooth' but it forgets to mention 'addictive, fattening and totally unhealthy'. Still, that hasn't put me off from delving spoons of varying sizes into the jar at moments of greed/need.

Dulce De Leche is a food from Argentina and it is thought that it was created by a forgetful maid who was boiling milk and sugar. Sometime later, she remembered her pan of white stuff and to her horror (soon to be delight) she discovered in had turned into a brown, thick and sticky mass.

Today we had friends over for lunch, good old roast chicken followed by a made-up pudding using the Dulce De Leche (I've got to get it out of the house with out consuming it all myself  haven't I?) I decide to make a take on the sickly but pleasing banoffee pie - pecan meringue filled with a mixture of lightly whipped cream, 'the' toffee sauce and slices of banana rolled into a roulade.

I have to say it looked a little bland, too much of the same colour but it tasted good. If you find yourself snatching a jar of this sticky nectar into your shopping trolley and need to share out the calories you could always try and make the roulade. Here's how:

• 5 egg whites


• 150g pecan nuts, chopped


• 275 g castor sugar


• 150ml double cream


• 1 tbsp Dulce De Leche


• 2 bananas, thinly sliced

Roast pecans in low oven (140º) for 8 Min's, cool then roughly chop.
Line a large baking sheet with silicone paper.
Whisk egg whites until stiff then add a tbsp of sugar, a spoon at a time.
Add the pecans and dollop mixture onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
Place in oven and cook for 20-30 Min's or until it peel away from paper base then leave to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a large sheet of grease-proof paper or foil. Peel away the base paper gently.

When ready to serve, lightly whip the cream. You can either have a go at spreading the toffee onto the meringue or if you think it will tear the meringue, lightly mix spoonfuls into the cream and then spread.
Top with slices of banana then using the foil or paper the roiled is lying on, pull it towards you, pressing it down to tighten the roll as you go. Dust with icing sugar and eat.