Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Salted Caramel + DOLE's Peel the Love Banana Cabana Tour

If you could choose the perfect fruit, which one would you pick?  I believe the banana would earn that honor.  It is portable, delicious and nutritious. The banana is one of the most widely consumed foods in the world and an excellent source for vitamin b6, soluble fiber and contains moderate amounts of vitamin C, manganese and potassium.  One of the most searched for recipes on the internet is banana bread – can you believe it?  I certainly can, especially when you don’t want to waste those over ripe bananas that are sitting in a bowl on your kitchen counter.

Click "Read More" below to continue post

Speaking of bananas, the wonderful folks at Dole are having a fun year long campaign to celebrate the banana, called Peel the Love “Banana Cabana” Tour.  It is a year-long Dole campaign that celebrates the fun, irreverence and whimsical side of bananas and other tropical fruits.  The program includes everything from delicious new banana recipes, serving, pairing and entertaining tips to special content just for Dole’s more than 750,000 Facebook and Twitter followers.

A highlight is the coast to coast Peel the Love “Banana Cabana” Tour that will hit over 26 cities across the country from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  The great news is that if you are a San Francisco Bay Area resident like me or visiting our beautiful region, you can experience the tour in San Francisco from August 7^th through 10^th.   

Click this link to find the dates and locations, so you can join in the fun! Here is a quick snapshot of the locations in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Nob Hill Foods

270 Redwood Shores Pkwy.

Redwood City, CA 94065

August 8th from 3pm to 6pm

Nob Hill Foods

2531 Blanding Avenue

Alameda, CA 94501

August 9th from10am to 1pm

Grocery Outlet
125 Hickory Blvd.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
August 7th from 9am to 6pm

Grocery Outlet
125 Hickory Blvd.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
August 8th from 10am to 1pm

As part of the celebration, I created a recipe especially to highlight the banana.  I thought about a banana bread recipe but then my sweet tooth took over.  It is a Roasted Banana Ice Cream with Salted Caramel.  It is the perfect treat to stay cool during this very warm summer.  You add some caramel to the ice cream to create the swirls and then for added decadence, drizzle more on top and enjoy!

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Custard Recipe

1 Cup Whole Milk

Pinch of salt

¾ Cup Sugar

2 teaspoons Vanilla

5 Egg Yolks

2 Cups Heavy Cream

In a medium pan, heat the milk and sugar on medium heat until very warm.  Add the vanilla and stir.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and add about ¼ cup of the warm milk mixture to temper the eggs.  Next add the entire egg mixture to the warm milk along with the heavy cream and continue to cook on medium until the back of a wooden spoon is coated.  Remove from the heat and strain so you have smooth custard.

Roasted Banana Recipe

3 Bananas remove peel and slice

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Butter

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Use a glass baking dish to roast the bananas.  Melt the butter in the pan and stir in the brown sugar then toss the sliced bananas.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool then add to a food processor and process until smooth. Add to the custard mixture and stir well.  Chill in refrigerator over night.  Process the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 ½ C. sugar 
¼ C. water
½ t. lemon juice
1 C. heavy cream
2 t. Grey Salt

Stir sugar, water and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat; boil without stirring until the mixture turns deep amber brown. This should take about 9 minutes. Take off the stove and hold over the sink before pouring the cream mixture into the sugar mixture. It will boil and bubble. Once calmed down, add grey salt and set back on the burner and reduce slightly over medium low heat for about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened. Put into another container and let come to room temperature when ready to use. 

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post by Dole.  Compensation was provided by Dole.  As always, all opinions are my own.