Summer is here, and so is the delicious season, if I may say so, of eating ice creams!! At least more prominent in families living in tropical climates, who turn to cold things to beat the heat. Banana Chocolate Chip Eggless Ice Cream is an eclectic flavour in my view, as the whole process of making this ice cream makes you feel like you just earned a feather in your cap!!
Very very likely, that this ice cream will have everyone go nuts over it, besides the monkeys, if they had the chance to taste it! I like the chocolate combination with banana and you can even top it with some roasted walnuts, as they go well with this combination.
The texture is creamy, with just the right level of banana taste and cocoa flavour. If you have access to sugar cones or waffle cones, readily available in grocery chain stores in USA, you truly can enjoy a fantastic ice cream experience in your own home!
So enjoy the process of making this ice cream as you relish the end result of a yummy delicious Banana Chocolate Chip Eggless Ice cream flavour, and also do check out the health benefits of eating bananas regularly at http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/25-powerful-reasons-to-eat-bananas. This article will also motivate you to go through the extra steps and elaborate process and making this ice cream more rewarding too!
Recipe makes about 1 quart of ice cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ( 1 1/2 tsp if not using vanilla bean)
- 1 whole vanilla bean- halved and scraped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar ( or 1 cup sugar if no brown sugar)
- 2 large bannanas, cut into inch size
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup bitter sweet chocolate chips or 2 oz of bitter sweet chocolate
- 3 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped and roasted small walnut pieces ( optional)
Method
- On a slow flame, put the heavy cream, milk, vanilla essence, vanilla bean, to boil. Remove from flame, as soon as it comes to boil. And let the mixture sit for about 30-45 min.
- In a shallow thick pan bring the sugar and water to heat, and keep stirring. Add the butter, as the sugar melts. Add the chopped bananas to this, as soon as the butter melts, and cook for 3-4 min, till the bananas soften, and you can smell the sweet fragrance of cooked banana in melted sugar. You should have some sugar syrup which needs to be separated from banana, by using a slotted spoon if possible
- Pour the lemon juice on the cooked bananas and add it to the cooled mixture of heavy cream and milk.
- Remove the vanilla pod, and blend the bananas into the mixture, if the bananas are not totally soft. Blending will also help in integrating the banana flavour well into the ice cream mixture. Refrigerate this overnight or at least 4- 5 hours before putting it in the ice cream maker.
- After its well chilled, put into ice cream mix and churn for at least 20-25 min, till there is no liquid left to churn.
- While the ice cream is being churned, melt the chocolate in a double boiler . Or put the chocolates in a bowl for 5-7 min, over the lid of a pan of boiling water
- Add this when the ice cream is almost done, and after a few minutes, add the extra sugar syrup, retained from the cooked bananas.
- If the sugar syrup is very lumpy thin it by adding a tsp of water.
- Chill the ice cream to set for about 7-8 hours.
- Garnish it with roasted walnut chips if you want extra crunchy feel atop the ice cream.
TIps
Do taste the ice cream mixture before starting to churn, for the sweetness. Extra sugar can also be added while the ice cream is being churned, Sweetness will also vary according to the sweetness of bananas, hence this is a vital step.
if you do not prefer creamier taste in ice cream, add 1/2 cup of milk extra, with extra sugar, if needed.
Readers residing in India, need to halve the sugar measurement-so do make a note of that.
Instinct Factor
If the bananas are not nicely caramelized in look, need not worry, as everything gets ultimately blended into the ice cream. Variate the topping with some roasted almond slices or coconut slices to give extra edge to an incredibly tasty ice cream.
Feel Factor
In a word, just YUM, coupled with a feeling of accomplishment, once you find a comfort level in making this ice cream. It sounds a little laborious, but the results are well worth the time, as mostly these ice creams in the store do contain eggs, and here you have it made fresh at home with the best of the ingredients. The bitter sweet chocolate and brown sugar add extra depth to the ice cream flavour making the Banana Chocolate Chip Eggless Ice Cream a rich dessert.
