Banana Dulce de Leche Alfajor Parfait Cups

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C for 10 min and line a baking tray with baking paper.

   oven

2. Put the cornstarch, flour and icing sugar in a bowl and add the cold butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips, then squeeze handfuls together and let go so the mixture forms clumps the size of peas and hazelnuts. Work quickly so the butter doesn't melt. Scatter evenly over the tray.

   Add in this stepCornstarch (cornflour) 40 gPlain flour 20 gIcing (powdered) sugar 15 gUnsalted butter, cold, in 1 cm cubes 30 g

3. Bake on the 20×30 cm tray in the oven for 12 min, stirring once halfway, until the edges turn pale golden. The crumble is soft straight from the oven but crisps as it cools, so let it cool completely on the tray.

   oven

4. Toast the coconut in a dry 18 cm frying pan over medium-low heat for 2 min, stirring constantly, until light golden, then tip it onto a plate at once; left in the pan it burns from the residual heat.

   Add in this stepDesiccated coconut 10 g

   medium-low heat

5. In a chilled bowl, whip the cold cream with part of the dulce de leche using an electric mixer for 2 min, stopping when the peaks hold but their tips softly bend. Whipping further makes the cream grainy and it can split.

   Add in this stepWhipping cream (at least 35% fat), cold 120 mlDulce de leche 60 g

6. Slice the bananas 5 mm thick just before assembling. In 2 glass(es) of about 250 ml, layer crumble, banana, cream and a spoonful of the remaining dulce de leche, repeat once, then finish with crumble and toasted coconut. Chill for 20 min and the crumble softens slightly into a true alfajor texture; eat right away for crunch.

   Add in this stepRipe bananas 1Dulce de leche 40 g