Food from Fiction Guest Post: Lost in London Book Tour

Today I am hosting Cindy Callghan author of the new book for tweens: Lost in London.  Lost in London is published by Aladdin Mix.  My readers love these books and I know this one will be just as popular.  Here's the synopsis for Lost in London:

Twelve-year-old Jordan isn’t unhappy, but she’s definitely bored. So when she gets the chance to take part in a London exchange program, she’s thrilled to ditch her small town in Delaware and see the world across the pond.

Unfortunately, Jordan’s host sister in London, Caroline, isn’t exactly enthusiastic about entertaining an American girl. Despite the chilly welcome, Jordan finds herself loving the city and Caroline’s group of friends, who are much nicer than Caroline herself.

And then a major misstep leaves Jordan and Caroline trapped together overnight—inside Daphne’s, the world’s largest department store. Given they have complete access to all the fancy shoes, designer dresses, and coolest makeup around, there are worse places to be stuck. But when the girls’ fun has not-so-fun consequences, Jordan’s wish for excitement abroad turns into a lot more than she ever bargained for...

I invited Cindy to participate in my Food From Fiction series and she responded with a fantastic looking recipe for Banoffee Pie.  I hadn't heard of this before but you can bet I will be trying this recipe very soon!  Thank you for joining us today Cindy!

Like my first novel, Just Add Magic, Lost in London features adventures AND delicious food. I asked my friend Michelle Ardillo to create a few Lost in London-inspired recipes for me to share, and here’s one I absolutely love. 

Banoffee Pie is a relatively new food invention in England, created by a restaurant chef in the 1970s. Its popularity grew quickly and it can now be found all over the United Kingdom. How could you go wrong with bananas, caramel and whipped cream? 

As with the lemon tarts, all of the components of Banoffee Pie can be homemade from scratch or they can be purchased ready-made and assembled into a quick and delicious dessert! 

Ingredients:

 One ready-made graham cracker pie crust, 8” or 9” 

One 13.4 ounce can of Nestlé’s La Lechera Dulce De Leche (see hint below) 

Two to three ripe bananas 

Juice of half of one lemon 

One carton of Cool Whip, regular, thawed 

Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional) 

Directions: 

Peel and thinly slice the bananas, place in a medium-sized bowl. Toss with lemon juice. (This will keep the bananas from turning brown inside the pie.) 

Drain any remaining juice from the banana slices and arrange banana slices inside the pie crust. 

Carefully open the can of Dulce De Leche and stir with a spoon inside the can to soften it. 

Spread it evenly over the banana slices. Take your time as the Dulce De Leche is thick and stiff and the banana slices are delicate. 

Top with Cool Whip. 

Garnish with chocolate shavings (optional). 

Place in refrigerator to chill until serving time.

Hints:

If you can’t find Nestlé’s La Lechera Dulce De Leche, you can use a jar of caramel sauce or caramel topping used for ice cream sundaes. 

To slice the pie cleanly, dip the pie cutter into warm water before and after each slice, wiping with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel before slicing. 

To get the very first slice out of the pan more easily, cut the first slice on both sides, and then make the cut for the second piece, but return to the first piece 

You can find Cindy all over the web.  Below are links to her social media sites.  You can also buy her book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.