When it's hot, I don't want to cook. I don't want to turn on my stove or oven and add heat to my top floor apartment. I just want ice cream! And I learned a recipe earlier this summer for a very surprising, one ingredient ice cream. This recipe has changed my life -- be prepared: all you need is a banana!
Seriously...just one banana, a freezer and a blender or food processor. (And if you want, peanut butter, nutella, chocolate chips, or whatever else you want to add...but then it becomes more than one ingredient, and I'm going to keep it simple for you right now...)
Honestly, when I first read this recipe, I couldn't believe it. Ice cream out of a banana? There is no milk! There is no cream! Heck, there is no ice!! No messy rock salt, no bulky ice cream maker. Just. A. Banana. Believe it!
And believe me, this "ice cream" is so incredibly thick and creamy, you have no idea that it's just a banana! This recipe is the best secret weapon for ice cream that is actually guilt-free. You're just eating a banana!
Ok, onto the recipe. This will be very informal because there aren't any complex directions here. Take one banana (or more, depending on how many people you want to serve). I like bananas that are starting to get spotty, but aren't yet at banana bread ripeness. I've also made this with plain yellow bananas and it's been good every time.
Slice the banana into slices like you would to top your cereal (about 1/4 inch thick, but really there's no precision here). Put the slices onto a plate and then stick the whole plate into the freezer for at least an hour. (I like to leave it in for about 2 hours, but on nights like tonight, 1 hour can't go by fast enough!!)
After the pieces are nice and frozen, take a knife and scrape them off the plate and into your blender or food processor.
Enjoy your delicious, homemade "ice cream" mmmmmmm!
p.s. my very good friend Traci has been very active in her kitchen lately, and has agreed to share with you some of her recent cooking adventures. She will be posting soon on Pacific Thyme, so look forward to that!
who knew? thanks, Erin! I'll defintely try it. I recently tried making a granita just from applesauce that you put in a dish, freeze for about an hour, then scrape up with a fork. It's not as smooth as your banana ice cream, but it's light and refreshing! (I used the recipe from food network's Melissa d'Arabian)
ReplyDeleteI eat this all the time!! Recommendation, you can leave bananas cut up in a ziploc baggy for days/weeks, that way its always ready for you. And, if they are ridiculously frozen when you start, they have the consistency of frozen yogurt at the end!
ReplyDelete