Homemade "ICE CREAM"

Yes, I have found a way to make everyone’s favorite, somewhat cheaper, but definitely more healthy and better tasting. will admit that the recipe that will follow is borrowed from somewhere else, namely Alston Brown from Food Network. The recipe that follows does not have to be cooked like traditional ice cream custard does and it uses healthy bananas as a base. This is one way to use up all of those over ripened bananas that seem to wind up on the kitchen counter.

1 ½ - 2 pounds of over ripened bananas

1 T lemon juice

¾ cup simple syrup (sugar water that has been reduced to the consistency of corn syrup)

1 t vanilla extract

1 ½ c heavy cream

Freeze the peeled bananas overnight. Remove and allow to thaw for 45 minutes or use microwave oven for 30 seconds. Put bananas and lemon juice in food processor. Process for 10-15 seconds. Add syrup and vanilla. Process until smooth. Slowly add cream. Process until it is completely smooth. Chill mixture until it reaches at least 40 degrees. Add to ice cream maker according to maker’s directions. Put in freezer for 3-5 hours before serving.

I have also successfully add other ingredients to further flavor. I have added fresh strawberries, cocoa for chocolate ice cream. I imagine you can add any fresh fruit when you add the bananas and just about any other flavor agent you like. Be warned- it will have a banana flavor no matter what you add to the base, but chocolate banana is rather good and strawberry banana is a natural.

Wanna make it low fat? You can, but it will have some consequences. The banana acts as a mouth feel agent. It is what will give you a fuller mouth feel and fuller flavor, but the milk also adds to this. Heavy cream makes this taste like REAL ice cream, but you can use whole milk or evaporated milk as a substitute, but the richness will be less. Whole milk will make the ice cream taste like ice milk due to the lower fat content. Still very good and tastey but a little thinner than you will be used to, but for you dieters an excellent substitute. We love it…You will too. Give it a try and you may never buy ice cream again.