Ice cream should be eaten all year round, it’s just a question of matching the flavours to the season! This recipe is a tiny bit awesome, but it won’t be for anyone that doesn’t like a powerful taste of banana. It is really simple to make which is the good news. The even better news is two scoops inside a deliciously warmed Almond Croissant makes it completely epic and very much an adult-only indulgence!

I like the challenge of making ice cream when I don’t have an ice cream maker. Let’s face it, who hasn’t watched a Masterchef contestant announce that they are going to make an ice cream and the first thought in your head being “I hope the machine doesn’t break down!” When a kitchen tool is that unreliable, I feel it best to practice the art of the no churn ice cream and then you will never be let down!

All this takes is time really…so a little patience is an essential ingredient!

Ingredients (makes 500ml of ice cream):

• 2 ripe bananas – as ripe as they can be;
• 250ml double cream
• 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste
• 2 tbsp / 35ml of Dulce de Leche caramel sauce
• Almond Croissants and more Dulce de Leche to serve

Method:

• Mash the two bananas with a fork until they resemble a loose paste;
• Whip the cream into soft peaks, just firm enough to hold their shape, but be careful not to over whip;
• Fold the cream into the mashed bananas gently. Add the vanilla bean paste and the caramel sauce and gently mix again until combined.
• Place into a 500ml container – a plastic takeaway carton is perfect for this, cover with the lid firmly and place in the freezer.
• After 2 hours in the freezer, open the lid and draw through the mixture with a fork. This helps to reduce the ice crystals forming. Recover and place back in the freezer overnight.
• The ice cream will freeze very solidly, so when ready to use, take out of the freezer and let sit for about 10 mins or so . The ice cream will be soft enough to scoop but still be firm and hold its shape.
• When ready to make your ice cream sandwich you will need to work fast: take the warm croissant (it shouldn’t be piping hot, just a hint of warmth otherwise the ice cream will disintegrate!), cut in half along the spine of the croissant and butterfly out. Place two generous scoops of ice cream inside the croissant and drizzle a final flourish of the Dulce de Leche caramel sauce on top.
• Dispense with cutlery, but a napkin is essential as I heartily recommend to allow the ice cream to dribble all the way down your chin!

ENJOY!