Banana Chocolate-Chunk Ice Cream

MarthaStewartWanabe's Note:

This recipe is from Cat Cora's cookbook, "Cooking from the Hip". I thought it sounded interesting. She suggests serving this ice cream with her Chocolate Budino (Italian molten chocolate pudding cake).

• Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 3 hrs
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 quart

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean , split
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ cup banana , chopped
• ½ cup dark chocolate , chopped

Directions:

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine cream, milk and sugar. Scrape seeds of vanilla bean into cream mixture and drop in the seedpod also. Place saucepan over medium-high heat. As soon as mixture begins to boil, remove pan from heat.
2. Beat egg yolks in a small bowl and slowly, in a very thin stream, add 1 cup of the hot cream mixture, stirring constantly to prevent the cream from scrambling the eggs. Gradually pour yolk and cream mixture back into saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken slightly, coats the back of a spoon and reaches 210 F on an instant-read thermometer.
3. Remove pan from heat. Pour cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl and let cool for 10-20 minutes. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
4. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for your ice-cream maker. Pour in the chilled cream mixture and let the machine churn for 20-25 minutes. Add the banana and chocolate when the ice cream is 3/4 frozen. Let the machine churn for another 5-10 minutes maximum. Cover the surface of the ice cream with wax paper or plastic wrap before storing in freezer to prevent ice crystals from forming.

Reviews

[Chef #389259]

Thanks SO much for submitting the recipe. It was a pretty good one. Couple things I'd change next time.... 1) I didn't get a Quart out of this recipe...so I'd probably at least double this recipe to feed a family of 4. 2) The recipe calls for "Milk". So, I used what I had in the house, which was 1% Milk. NEXT time, I think I'll use WHOLE Milk.... or better yet -- Half & Half Cream instead. Will make it much more full-bodied and creamy. 3) I used Semi-sweet chocolate chips...its what I had in the house. Did not chop....as I figured they'd be small enough. But will chop these up next time to distribute the chocolate better. Also may add some roughly cut up, lightly TOASTED Walnuts as well....taking a cue with from one of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors...Ben & Jerry's 'Chunky Monkey'!