This ice cream is superb served with warm banana halves, quickly sautéed in butter and drizzled with a ribbon of apricot glaze.
30g (2 tbsp) butter
50g (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
1 ripe banana, about 180g (6¼oz), sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1 quantity crème anglaise, made with 25g (1½ tbsp) sugar and without vanilla
60g (scant ½ cup) sultanas (golden raisins)
Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the sugar, then the banana slices and cook over a medium heat for 1 – 2 minutes, until the banana is lightly caramelised. Pour on the lemon juice, then mix the banana into the hot crème anglaise, stirring with a spatula.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and whiz for 1 minute, then pass through a chinois into a bowl. Stand over ice to hasten the cooling, and stir with a spatula from time to time to prevent a skin forming. Meanwhile, blanch the sultanas in boiling water for 1 minute, then remove and refresh in cold water, drain and set aside.
Pour the banana mixture into an ice cream maker and churn for 20 – 25 minutes, following the method on Vanilla ice cream, until the ice cream is firm but still creamy. Stir in the sultanas a minute or two before removing the ice cream from the machine.
Scoop the ice cream into dishes and serve with caramelised banana halves if you like.