banana pudding ice cream

There are a few foods that take me way, way back to my childhood. Orange danishes. Cheesecake. Anything combining peanut butter and banana. My momma's macaroni and cheese, her banana bread, and especially her banana pudding. Do you see a trend here? Banana popped up several times...I really, really, like banana. So you can imagine my excitement when my Charlottesville friend Stephanie, someone whom I think very well could have been separated from me at birth, brought homemade banana pudding ice cream to her dinner table one evening. And then again when Steph was spending an afternoon at my house, pointed to the pile of overripe bananas on my counter and said "Let's make ice cream! Right now." And now, when I sneak out to the kitchen mid-day, slip a spoon from a drawer, and sink it into the container of what's left for an afternoon pick-me-up. 

This flavor will forever remind me of my Momma. Banana pudding was one of my very favorite edibles while growing up, but sitting here today I can't remember ever making it for myself as an adult. Its the kind of recipe that mommas make, and until I am one, I don't know that I will. But this ice cream, it takes the best of what banana pudding is...the creamy texture, the crunch of vanilla wafers, the real bananas puréed smooth...and creates a simple, elegant, dinner-party-worthy dessert. One that leaves you mostly speechless, lost in thought, and thoroughly happy.

My life has been a little sweeter lately because of banana pudding ice cream mingled with memories of home and youth. Steph, I owe you. Big time.

I wish that I could take credit for this fabulous recipe, but I cannot.  This one I owe to my dear friend Stephanie, ice cream goddess and all-around awesome lady.

Banana Pudding Ice Cream

makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

• 5 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed or puréed
• 1/2 cup vanilla wafers, broken to small pieces but not crumbs

Method

1. In a medium-size bowl whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt, and set aside.
2. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the milk and 1 cup of the cream just to a slow boil. Remove from heat and add to the egg mixture, whisking constantly.
3. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 170˚. Do not bring to a boil or it will most likely curdle. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
4. Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Add the remaining cup of cream and the vanilla, and stir to incorporate. Add the puréed banana and stir to combine.
5. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. When the mixture is cool, cover the bowl completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
6. The next day, pour the mixture into the frozen bowl of your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. About 3 minutes before the ice cream is done freezing, add the vanilla wafers. 

banana date bread

I'll admit...I've shared this recipe before. It was a long, long, time ago, way back in the first few months of Bella Eats' existence. I claimed then that this was the best quick bread I'd made...ever. And now, 2 years and many loaves later, I'm sticking to that statement. This recipe is at the tippy top of my list of favorites, loved so much that the old photographs just didn't do it justice. And so, when the baking urge hit me mid-afternoon last week (as it does most afternoons these days) I decided to capture new images of this old friend.

I love the melded scents of banana and cinnamon punctuated by sweet dates, which take on an almost caramel flavor. Diced apple keeps the bread wonderfully moist while adding its own, very subtle, sweetness. Made without oil, with whole wheat flour, and sweetened naturally, it is not absurd to have several slices of the loaf in one sitting without feeling guilty. Add a smear of almond butter to a thick slab and you have quite the hearty and filling breakfast or afternoon snack, while a quick zap in the microwave and a thin sliver of butter make for a lovely not-too-sweet dessert.

Happy Friday, Friends!

If you've been around since the beginning and already added this recipe to your repertoire, you might notice that I've made a small change in the ingredients. Instead of the 1/2 cup of applesauce previously present, I've substituted non-fat Greek yogurt. I've found that the overall texture is improved and the bread has a better, more shapely, rise. 

This loaf freezes quite well for up to 3 months if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and again in foil. 

Banana Date Bread

makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup fat free, vanilla, Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup peeled, chopped, tart apple
• 6 medjool dates, chopped
• 1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, yogurt, sugar, egg, apple, and dates. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.  
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes clean. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and cool on rack completely before slicing.