Caramelized Banana Ice-cream (Vegan)
Happiness is watching a kid enjoying ice cream.
Happiness is watching a friend try Van Leeuwen vegan ice cream for the first time
Happiness is watching Mr B licking the bowl when I make homemade ice cream
Van Leeuwen ice cream started off in 2008 as an ice cream truck in NYC. They set out to revive the art of traditional ice cream making using just a handful of natural ingredients, celebrating farmers and artisans from across the world.
The secret to the vegan ice cream is the perfected recipe which has the same amount of fat as the non-vegan ice cream, which makes the mouth feel, decadent and smooth. This is what surprises everyone when then taste it, as they are surprised that you can create that gelato texture without milk and eggs.
My friends and I have spent a fair share of our time and retirement money in Van Leeuwen and so for my birthday I received the recipe book and an ice cream machine. I got the hint and started to make my way through the recipes. First the toasted coconut ice cream and next the caramelized banana. The caramelized banana recipe makes your house smell delicious and toasty with a combination of the roasted walnuts and bananas caramelizing.
Ingredients
For the bananas
- 4 bananas
- 1 tsp. vegan butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup cashew milk
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup cocoa butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Method
- Pour the coconut and cashew milk in a larger bowl and set aside
- To make the cashew nut milk, add one cup soaked (overnight) cashews to 1.25cup water and blend in a nutri-bullet
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with ¼ cup water and stir over a low heat until dissolved
- Stir in the cocoa butter and coconut oil until melted, add the salt
- Gently pour the mix into the milks, blend
- This is the base to most vegan ice-creams at Van Leewen
- To make the caramelized banana’s, place bananas, sugar and melted butter on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until caramelized
- When ready add these to the blender with the rest of the mix and blend
- Place the mixture into the fridge for 1-2 hours to cool
- Pour the chilled ice cream base into an ice cream machine, churn according to the instructions of the ice-cream maker
- At the last-minute pour in the roasted walnuts
- To make the walnuts, place them on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Chop to create smaller pieces for a more even distribution
- Once done it will resemble soft serve, place in the freezer for a harder consistency
