Dulce de Leche Banana Pie

This might be one of the most decadent, sweetest desserts you have ever tasted.  It's also one of the easiest to prepare.  Several years ago I gave you the simple recipe for dulce de leche, a South American caramel, so easy to make yourself.  Buy a can of sweetened, condensed milk.  Boil it for three hours (in the unopened can).  Allow the can to cool for at least 45 minutes.  You can put it in an ice bath to speed up the process.  Open the can and you have the most delicious, thick, creamy caramel topping imaginable.  I have used this caramel topping for ice cream, but here's another way to use it.  Use it as the centerpiece of this incredibly rich dulce de leche banana pie.  I hope you enjoy it.

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk                                                 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs                                                    

1/2 cup butter, melted                                                    

 

4 bananas

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

                       

 2 T. confectioner's sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Add melted butter to graham cracker crumbs, and incorporate into crumbly mixture.  Press mixture into a pie plate, to make the crust for the pie.  Next,  cover the graham cracker crust with rounds of bananas.  Cover with 1/2 can of dulce de leche, then another layer of bananas and then the remainder of the dulce de leche.  Finally, whip the cream, add confectioner's sugar and vanilla, and cover the top of the pie with whipping cream.  Decorate with additional bananas, if you like.  Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until pie is nice and firm.  Serve small pieces, as this pie is very rich.  Another way to make this is to use a cream pie filling (like vanilla pudding and use just a thin layer of dulce de leche for the first layer, then a pudding filling, then whipped cream, and finally more dulce de leche drizzled on top to decorate.  Enjoy.