FOIL-BAKED BANANA SPLITS WITH MAPLE PECAN SOFT-SERVE NICE CREAM

Serves 4

4 bananas • 4 tbsp roughly chopped dark chocolate
4 tbsp desiccated coconut • 4 tbsp maple syrup

For the maple pecan soft-serve nice cream:

4 large bananas, peeled and frozen • ¼ tsp vanilla powder or extract
a large pinch of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
1½ tbsp maple syrup • 30 g (1 oz/¼ cup) toasted pecans, crushed
60 ml (2 fl oz) almond milk

Toppings:

chopped pecans • blueberries • nut butters • ground cinnamon
coconut oil • desiccated coconut • dried cranberries • strawberries

I love serving these still wrapped in their foil parcels, so that each person can unwrap their own little pudding, and then add a scoop of the maple pecan nice cream at the table. You can really play around with the toppings and create some fun alternatives.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

Take the bananas and, with the skins still on, slice them down the middle. Fill each banana with a tablespoon of chocolate and desiccated coconut, then drizzle with the maple syrup. Wrap the bananas separately in foil, put on a baking tray and bake for 8–10 minutes. To check whether they are done, carefully peek inside one of the parcels – the banana should be soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and set aside.

To make the maple pecan nice cream, put the ingredients in a food processor and blend until thick and creamy, scraping down the sides every 30 seconds. Process until the mixture becomes completely smooth and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.

Let everyone carefully (it will be piping hot!) open their own parcels and top with a dollop of the maple pecan nice cream and their choice of toppings.