Roasted Banana Ice Cream

After finding a recipe for roasted banana ice cream in what has now been upgraded to M.L.P (most legit purchase) of the decade, I marched my copy of The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz into the kitchen. Here’s the thing: bananas are pretty tasty but roasted bananas are unrivaled decadence. If you can’t be bothered to roast a banana to find out why they’re so insanely delicious then at least drop one in a skillet and sautée it with a dash of butter until it’s browned. Eat it with ice cream. You will find yourself rewarded. I will crusade in search of bananas to roast until the end of time!

My #2 spot for M.L.P has to go to my ice cream maker. After spending a fortune on Pinkberry since my move to Los Angeles in 2006, I made the brave decision to attempt to make the curiously addictive creamy tart sensation at home. For the record, I have not succeeded. For the record, I’ve moved on.

I thought this ice cream would make a nice ending to a Southern style meal of braised brisket, collards, and maple roasted carrots, but I never actually got around to cooking dinner after making this. Oops! Clearly I’ve been made aware of my priorities.

Although supremely satisfying on its own, I topped the ice cream with shaved dark chocolate, toasted walnuts, and coconut. I deeply recommend you consider doing the same.

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Adapted slightly from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

3 Medium-sized Ripe Bananas, peeled

½ C Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 T Butter, salted or unsalted, cut into pieces

1 ½ C Whole Milk

¼ C Heavy Cream

2 T Agave Nectar

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

1 ½ tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¼ tsp Sea Salt

3 T B&B (Bourbon & Benedictine—feel free to substitute dark rum, bourbon or brandy.)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees F. Slice the bananas into ½” pieces and toss them with the brown sugar and butter in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring just once during baking, until the bananas are browned and cooked through.

Scrape the bananas and the thick syrup in the baking dish into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, cream, agave, vanilla, lemon juice, salt, and liquor, and purée until smooth.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If the chilled mixture is too thick to pour into your machine, whisking it will thin it out.