BANANA ICE CREAM, PHILADELPHIA STYLE

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS

THIS ice cream is easy to make but will only be as flavorful as the
bananas you use. Pick the ripest ones you can find or set a couple of bananas
in a brown paper bag overnight to help them ripen faster.

1½ cups light cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 ripe medium bananas
¼ cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons banana liqueur or syrup (optional)

Heat the cream in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until small
bubbles appear around the edge. Do not let the cream boil. Remove from
the heat. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves completely. Cool to room
temperature.

Cut the bananas into thin slices and place in a blender with the half-andhalf
and banana liqueur, if using. Blend until the bananas are pureed, about
15 seconds. Stir the banana puree into the cooled cream. Refrigerate until
cold or overnight.

Stir the cream well, then freeze in 1 or 2 batches in your ice cream machine
according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When finished, the ice cream
will be soft but ready to eat. For firmer ice cream, transfer to a freezer-safe
container and freeze at least 2 hours.

Variations

AMBROSIA ICE CREAM When the ice cream is semifrozen, add ¼ cup
each of the following: toasted sweetened coconut (see page xvi), drained
mandarin orange sections, and slivered almonds. Allow the machine to
mix in the additional ingredients. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

BANANA BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM Mix ½ cup blueberries with 2 tablespoons
sugar and 2 tablespoons dark rum. Let the fruit macerate at least 2
hours. Add this mixture to the cream before freezing. Proceed with the recipe
as directed.

BANANA CREAM PIE ICE CREAM Add ½ cup crumbled vanilla cream
wafer cookies to the machine when the ice cream is semifrozen. Allow the
machine to mix in the cookies. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

BANANA FUDGE ICE CREAM Add ½ cup crumbled chocolate fudge or
chocolate fudge cookies to the machine when the ice cream is semifrozen.
Allow the machine to mix in the fudge. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

BANANA MALT ICE CREAM Stir ¼ cup malted milk powder into the
cream along with the sugar. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

BANANA TART ICE CREAM Add ¼ cup crumbled ginger snaps to the
machine when the ice cream is semifrozen. Allow the machine to stir in
the cookies. Swirl ¼ cup caramel sauce into the finished ice cream. Take
care not to overswirl or the sauce will “melt” into the ice cream. Streaks of
caramel should be visible. Serve immediately or freeze until firm. Serve
immediately or freeze until firm.