Recipes

Recipe: Fresh Banana Ice Cream

Fresh ice cream: as simple as frozen fruit, cream and a Cuisinart

By Caren McSherry /

Credit: Hamid Attie

Skip the preservatives and make fresh ice cream with frozen bananas and a Cuisinart

Hold on to your Cuisinart! If there were one reason and one reason only to include this machine in your kitchen, this fresh banana ice cream is it

It’s magical – the frozen fruit whirling around while you pour in the cream transforms instantly into ice cream.

You can scale it up or down with regards to richness: whole milk, half-and-half cream, or the whole hog with whipping cream. Whatever your choice, this is a slam-dunk dessert. 


Note: Due to the lack of preservatives, this ice cream will not keep longer than four days. 



Ingredients

  • 4 very ripe (black) bananas

  • 250 ml (1 cup) half-and-half cream (10-12% fat)

  • 125 ml (½ cup) whipping cream
  • 
10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla paste* (vanilla paste is a thick
 paste of the pods of the bean. It is used the same way extract is. The upside of using the paste is that you end up with flecks of vanilla.)
  • 
30-45 ml (2-3 tbsp) hazelnut or amaretto liqueur (optional)



Instructions

  1. Peel the bananas and cut into 5 cm (2-inch) pieces.
  2. Arrange in a single layer on a tray and freeze for at least 3 hours until rock hard.
  3. Combine the creams in a spouted measuring cup and keep in the refrigerator until ready.
  4. Once the banana is frozen solid, place the pieces into the bowl of a food processor.
  5. Pulse 10 to 12 times to break up the frozen pieces – the consistency should be that of coarse cornmeal.
  6. With the machine running, slowly pour the chilled cream mixture into the feed tub.
  7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the vanilla paste and liqueur (if using). Pulse a few more times to mix.
  8. Serve immediately or cover well and freeze for up to four days.



Makes 500 ml (2 cups)

Recipes and excerpts from In a Pinch by Caren McSherry (Whitecap Books, 2011).

Originally published in BC Home magazine. For monthly updates, subscribe to the free BC Home e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the bi-monthly magazine.