Creamy Banana Ice Cream from Real Bananas

[u/MaiBMaiBNot]

We have two bananafanatics in the family and they purchase pints of local ice cream ($10/pint) that they rate as better than meh, but not exquisite. Both have late August birthdays and I'll make their favorite banana cake with cream cheese frosting and thought I'd make some banana ice cream to go along with it (already have a batch of lavender vanilla under construction for nonbananafanatics). Does anybody have a fabulous banana ice cream recipe? No nuts or graham crackers preferred. I have the Cuisinart ICE-21, if that matters. Thank you!

[u/pmdboi]

RED HOT BANANA

modified from Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book after experimentation; my notes are in [square brackets]

YIELD: 1-1/2 quarts [book claims 1 quart, but the bananas and brown sugar add significant volume]

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe bananas, sliced
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 tsp salt [book says 1 tsp but that is too much IME]
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Red Hot candies [book says chopped, but I found that they just stuck to the knife and each other]

METHOD

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the bananas, brown sugar, and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bananas are completely mushy, about 5 minutes [book says about 10 minutes, but the bananas went mushy very quickly for me]. (Watch out for burning. Burning is bad.) Transfer to a blender, reserving the saucepan. Process the banana mixture to a smooth purée. Set aside.
2. Fill a large bowl or pan with ice and water. Place a large, clean bowl in the ice bath and fit the bowl with a fine-mesh strainer.
3. In the reserved saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot but not boiling.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the banana purée, egg yolks, and granulated sugar until well blended. [The mixture may all end up stuck in the whisk; that's OK, it'll loosen once you start adding the cream in the next step.]
5. Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Slowly pour about half of the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer the yolk mixture back to the saucepan with the remaining cream mixture and return it to medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula and being sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan so it doesn't scorch, until the liquid begins to steam and you can feel the spatula scrape against the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. [I used a thermometer and stopped cooking once it reached 180°F.]
6. Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour it through the strainer into the clean bowl you set up in the ice bath. Let cool, stirring occasionally.
7. Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and spin according to the manufacturer's instructions. Right after spinning, fold in the Red Hots. Eat immediately, or transfer to an airtight container, cover, and freeze for up to 1 week.

[u/TravelerMSY → u/pmdboi]

Wow. I’ll bet cooking the sugar and bananas first really makes it good.