Bad Bananas Gone Good
This morning, my bananas gave up on life. Maybe it was the interminable winter. Maybe it was avocado envy. Likely it was simply neglect. Truth be told, I'm not much for bananas, but they bring a happy wholesomeness to the kitchen, and so every week they dutifully find their way onto my grocery list.
Traditionally, this would be my cue to round up the baking pantry and whip up some banana bread. You know how it goes. But dream kitchen reno is on hold pending assessment of water damage from the Ice Dam Twins, and my oven, the 1989 original, is frankly not up to the task. It spews black dragon smoke and smells like burning hobbit when disturbed from slumber. I think I'll let it hibernate indefinitely.
If you know me, you might say that I'm a person of extremes. I enjoy volatile swings from one end of the spectrum to the other, wind rushing in my hair, bugs splattering in my face. No oven? Fine. How's about the freezer?
And so, with just 2 ingredients and 20 minutes, I set out to resurrect those drama queens into ice cream. Ok, yes, so there's no dairy component, and therefore, technically, it's a sorbet, but bananas are so starchy and dense that they yield a texture much more akin to ice cream, so there!
Seriously, just 2 ingredients: Bananas, meet almond butter. My banana (of large size) to butter (in TB) ratio = 5:4, but go with your gut! Go heavy, go BOLD, go...bananas ;) Combine in food processor (or blender) and blitz the shit out of it until the constituency is as smooth as milk pudding. Then blitz some more for good measure.
I think the bananas are quite sweet enough on their own, but I'm a savory girl. For you sugar fiends, a couple TB of honey or, my current favorite, agave sweeter, which doesn't have as dominant a taste, should satisfy your sweet tooth. Do NOT use granulated sugar; the crystals will not dissolve, and your ice cream will be crunchy, like sandy scallops. (If you don't have honey or agave, simple syrup to the rescue: equal parts sugar and water; thoroughly dissolve sugar over low heat; cool before using. I always keep some on hand; you never know when iced coffee is eminently necessary.) And of course, any nut butter will do. Peanut, cashew, sunflower, sesame, Nutella, etc. Why yes, I DO have all of these in my pantry currently. In fact, I have a designated nut butter shelf. I unabashedly LOVE nut butters and prefer a very diverse nut butter lineup. Keep giggling, you child.
Once banana creaming is satisfactory (still giggling?), into the ice cream machine! (Don't have one? No worries! Amendments below.) Churn according to instructions. For my basic Cuisinart, 15 minutes will do. This will fluff the mixture (aaaannnd we're done giggling), giving you a nice airy texture. Pop the mixture into the freezer and let set for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. (Note: Do NOT leave the mixture in the ice cream freezer bowl. You will inevitably scrape and scratch the inside when scooping.)
No ice cream machine? GET ONE. It's hands down the best $40 I spent summer of 2010. There are few culinary feats that yield more pride for the cook and more joy for the glutton than homemade ice cream. You bet I'll be sharing some of my best come summertime (and I'm a Wisco girl, so my ice creams are classically custardy, which is, let's be honest, the only way to be if you're gonna be an ice cream.) But until then, here's what you do.
- Before you throw the bananas into the food pro, peel them and freeze them solid. I suggest breaking them into segments before freezing to give your blades a break.
- Blitz frozen bananas and nut butter as above and set in freezer.
- If you want to go the extra mile, manually aerate the ice cream every 30 minutes during the first 2 hours of freezing time. You can do this with an electric hand mixer or by hand with a sturdy whisk. This will mimic the churning of the ice cream machine.
I like a little salt with my ice cream. In fact, I serve all my ice cream with at least 2 toppings and a flavored sea salt. There is a method to my madness, and there is science to it as well. More on that in a later post. Suffice to say that the salt provides a delicate counterbalance to the sweet decadence. Today's sodium brought to you by Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Almonds (with sea salt and Turbinado sugar).
Dear Bananas,
Let's be honest, this IS your full potential. We wait patiently for you to age, soften, brown, atrophy, and just as your rotting carcass peaks, you are reincarnated, more glorious than you ever were in your unadulterated prime.
Be the phoenix. Accept your fate.
xoxo