Serves 4
150 g (5 oz/1 cup) unsalted pistachios, shelled
155 g (5½ oz/1 cup) cashews, soaked for 4–6 hours • 3 bananas, peeled and frozen
185 ml (6 fl oz) maple syrup or honey • 80 ml (2½ fl oz) coconut oil, melted
2 tsp almond extract • ¼ tsp sea salt
Pistachio ice cream is one of those things that has to be tasted to be believed. Our dairy-free, banana-based version is a thing of wonder. It’s ludicrously creamy and will give the classic pistachio gelato a run for its money.
Blitz 100 g (3½ oz/¾ cup) pistachios in a coffee grinder or food processor until you have a fine powder. Set aside. Roughly chop the remaining pistachios.
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews. Put in a high-speed blender or food processor, along with the bananas, ground pistachios, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond extract and salt. Blend on a high speed until completely smooth; this could take a couple of minutes. Add the reserved chopped pistachios to the mix and give it a good stir.
You can pour this into an ice-cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions, but it also works beautifully served straight from the blender. Alternatively, pop it into a freezer-proof container and freeze for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to prevent ice crystals.