Phew! What a week, hunh. I don’t know anyone – whether they’re here in Canada, in New Zealand, Australia or just south of us in the States – who isn’t reeling from the political results that took place this week. I think everyone is questioning what’s important to them, and wondering what will happen next.
Since celebrating a milestone birthday in recent months I’ve also been asking myself those questions – Who am I? What do I want? Where do I go from here? What does the future hold?
It’s a time to set some new goals and, more importantly, what it means to be me, now. It’s an exciting time, of course, but a sometimes scary and uncertain one too.
When faced with this type of uncertainty, one is often advised to look back to one’s childhood, to your beginnings, to what excited you then, when you could focus solely on pleasure and learning. For me it was riding my bike, playing skip rope with my friends, and spending time in the kitchen.
It’s also advised (by me) to give in to these funny feelings (because they don’t last forever) and comfort yourself with delicious food that reminds you of those carefree childhood moments.
So today I am sharing a comforting, child-like dessert to act as a salve during this confusing time – Banana bread ice cream with candied pecans and hot fudge sauce.
You’re welcome.
O.k. let’s get started.
Grab some ripe bananas (about 4); peel and chop them into discs. Toss the cut bananas in brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and place in a baking dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until they get all sweet and bubbly.
Transfer cooked bananas to a food processor (I used a hand-held blender), add lemon juice, and blend until smooth. Once smooth, add all ingredients except nuts and blend until incorporated.
Transfer to an airtight to container to chill for several hours.
Now it’s time to make the candied pecans. Melt butter and brown sugar over low heat, toss in pecans to coat, then place nuts on a greased baking sheet until cool. Set aside.
Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for approximately 20-30 (or until you get the results you want). If adding nuts, wait until the last five minutes to incorporate.
Now you can eat the ice cream right away (as soft serve) or place in a container and put in the freezer if you prefer firmer cream.
Enjoy! I recommend serving this in a sugar cone and dousing it in hot fudge sauce – store bought of course – I mean, give yourself a break, you JUST MADE ICE CREAM!
*If you don’t have an ice cream maker, place in an airtight container in the freezer, and stir (with a whisk or hand blender) every 30 minutes until set. You will get a slightly different texture but the taste will still be great.
(recipe modified from Serious Eats).
- Approximately 4 ripe bananas (1lb), sliced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 cups half and half cream
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp dark rum
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 3 tbsp butter (optional)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional)
- Peel and chop into slices
- Toss the cut bananas in brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and place in a baking dish.
- Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes
- Transfer cooked bananas to a food processor (I used a hand-held stick blender), add lemon juice, and blend until smooth.
- Once smooth, add remaining ingredients (except nuts, butter and 2 tbsp brown sugar) and blend until incorporated.
- Transfer to an airtight to container to chill for several hours.
- If making candied pecans: Melt butter and brown sugar over low heat, toss in pecans to coat, then place nuts on a greased baking sheet until cool. Set aside.
- Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for approximately 20-30 minutes (or until you get the results you want - check manufacturer's instructions).
- If adding nuts, wait until the last 5 minutes to incorporate.
Comments (1)
OMG. This looks amazing. Fitting since Donald Trump is slippery, just like a banana!