Banana Rum Ice-cream

Call me the Dairy Queen 

A banana ice-cream generally wouldn’t be high up on my list. Any time we have over ripe bananas we opt for delicious and moist banana bread. However this ice-cream has made me realize that we might have to start making an exception to that rule. I’m not a huge fan of bananas but I loved this ice-cream. If you love bananas this may be the ice-cream you need to try. Its rich and creamy bursting with banana flavor with hints of rum undertones.

After the initial 4 hours in the freezer the banana flavor was super intense. I actually contemplated reducing the amount of bananas in the recipe because it was as if I was involved in a hit and run by a truck load of ripe bananas. However once it went into a freezer safe container and froze overnight, the flavors developed into a very rich and smooth banana flavor. No longer an assault on the senses the way it was initially.

The highlight for me is the addition of the raw banana swirl. It’s a great complement to the banana that has been cooked in the mixture with the rum. It was a flavor that was very well received; everyone loved it (which surprised me because I didn’t think anyone would be interested in a banana ice-cream). I was certainly mistaken.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

4 Ripe bananas

2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

½ cup rum or whiskey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Jeni’s ice-cream base

2 cup Milk

1 ¼ cup Cream

2/3 cup white Sugar

3 table spoon Cream cheese

1 table spoon plus 1 teaspoon Corn starch

2 tablespoon Corn syrup

Instructions

For the bananas

• Take two bananas and slice them, place in a ziploc bag and completely freeze them
• Slice the other two bananas and set aside
• Melt the butter in a saucepan add the brown sugar and bananas
• Sauté until the sugar dissolved then add the rum and allow the alcohol to cook and the sauce to reduce (Optional you can light the flames carefully to flambé the alcohol and bananas, it will develop a richer flavor rather than just allowing the alcohol to evaporate)
• Once the flames have died down and the mixture is reduced puree in a blender until smooth and set aside

For the ice-cream

• In a dish make the cornstarch slurry by combining the corn starch and 2 tablespoon milk
• In a separate bowl lightly whisk the cream cheese, salt, banana puree mixture and vanilla
• In a pot bring to boil the cream, milk, white sugar and corn syrup for 4 minutes exactly
• Once it’s been boiling for four minutes remove from the heat and stir in the cornstarch slurry
• Place back on the heat and stir allowing it to slightly thicken for a minute
• Pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl of banana/cream cheese to dissolve it and remove lumps
• Pour contents into a zip lock bag
• Prepare a bowl filled with ice
• Place the zip lock bags in the ice bath and allow the mixture to completely cool
• Churn the milk mixtures in an ice-cream maker
• While the ice-cream is churning bend the frozen banana into a creamy ice-cream like consistency
• In a loaf pan layer the churned ice-cream with swirls of the blended banana
• Press down parchment paper on the top surface of the ice-cream and allow it to harden for at least 4 hours in the freezer.

With the swirls of fresh bananas

Greedy Tips:

• If your going to try the flambe make sure to ignite the alcohol immediately after you add it to the bananas, if you allow it to cook too long and the temp to change it wont light.  
• If you want a less intense banana flavor you have two options use less ripe bananas or use 1 banana in the custard and 1 frozen for a total of 2. Generally the riper the bananas are the more intense their banana flavor

Xoxo Greedygirl