ROASTED BANANA ICE-CREAM
This banana ice-cream tastes like delicious, sweet pudding. Roasting the bananas take their flavour to a whole new level. It has the background notes of a deep caramel but with the decadence of a creamy banana. To lighten up the indulgent dessert, we replace traditional full-fat milks with nut milks and swapped butter for coconut oil. The result is an even more complex ice-cream that you can guiltlessly have 2 scoops.
INGREDIENTS
For roasted bananas
4 ripe, medium bananas, peeled
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
Pinch sea salt
For ice-cream base
2 cups unsweetened almond and coconut half-and-half milk*
1⁄2 cup unsweetened almond milk
3⁄4 cup coconut sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
6 large egg yolks
*Substitute 1 cup coconut cream + 1 cup coconut milk
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 Peel bananas into 1⁄4-inch slices.
3 In a large bowl, add bananas, oil, sugar and salt; toss.
4 Spread bananas onto lined baking sheet and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bananas are brown and caramelised. Let cool.
5 To make ice cream base, pour milks into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (double-boiler). Whisk in salt and 1⁄2 cup of sugar into the milks. Heat until steam rises from the milk-sugar mixture.
6 Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and water and then, set a smaller bowl inside, creating an ice-bath.
7 Place a towel below a medium bowl to prevent slipping then, add egg yolks. Whisk with remaining sugar until fully incorporated.
8 Add a splash of the hot milk-sugar mixture to the egg yolks while whisking vigorously. Continue adding the hot milk to yolks while whisking. Stop when approximately 1⁄2 the hot milk mixture has been added. Then, reverse the process by adding the remaining yolks to the hot milk-yolk mixture.
9 Place the mixture over the double- boiler, stirring continuously, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Pass your finger through the custard on the spoon, if a trail is left behind, then the custard is ready.
10 Strain the custard into the bowl over your ice-bath. Stir for 5 minutes until custard has cooled.
11 Transfer to a large bowl and add roasted bananas. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and emulsified. Refrigerate overnight or, at least 4 hours.
12 In an ice-cream maker, churn chilled custard until it looks like soft- serve. Serve as is or freeze until desired consistency.
