Banana Rum Caramel Meringue Pie

Set aside a 25cm tart tin with a removable base.

Pastry: Whizz the flour, icing sugar and butter together in a processor. Add the egg yolk and milk and pulse until it starts coming together in big clumpy breadcrumbs. Tip onto a clean bench and bring together into a big fat disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge, sit for 5 more minutes then roll out between two pieces of baking paper until it is a few centimetres bigger in diameter than the tart tin. Carefully remove one side of baking paper and put this side down into the tin, remove the top baking paper and ease the pastry into the tin. Press firmly into the sides and base, then trim excess from the top. Don’t worry if a bit of patching is required – no-one will ever see! Prick the base gently with a fork and pop in the fridge to chill until firm.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking beans and rice and cook a further 10 minutes until lightly golden.

Caramel filling: Put both condensed milks, butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and rum in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring, until the butter has melted. Continue cooking and whisking until smooth, thick and golden – about 5 minutes. Pour into the cooked pastry shell and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

Rum bananas: Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Cook for 1 minute over a medium heat, then add the sliced bananas, stirring to coat, and cook a further 2 minutes until they are lightly golden. Add the rum, cook 1 minute then turn off the heat, and leave to cool. Using a slotted spoon to drain, top the pie with rum bananas, leaving a 2cm gap around the edge of the caramel.

Meringue topping: Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar a few spoonfuls at a time, until the meringue is very thick and glossy. The sugar must be fully dissolved in the egg white so the meringue doesn’t weep when cooked. To test this rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger to ensure no grittiness remains. Add the cornflour and beat briefly to combine. The mixture should now be very thick, stiff and glossy.

Pile the prepared meringue on to the pie and swirl to just past the edges of the bananas. Bake for 15 minutes until the meringue is lightly golden.

Best served on the day of making. Once cooled the pie can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours. To ensure best presentation, do not remove from the tin and place on a serving plate until just before serving. Serves 8–10.