"No stop signs, speed limit, nobody's gonna slow me down…"

by Katie Gomez on May 19, 2010

in ice cream

I always start out with the best of intentions…I really do. But the road to hell is paved with them, and I’m pretty sure that’s the road I’m on, with no signs of a red light or a u-turn. A couple of weeks ago, some of my dearest Twittering food bloggers started a bit of an ice cream trend—a creamless ice cream trend. Actually, make that a creamless, eggless, sugarless ice cream trend. And rather than start my usual rants, I shut up, listened, and started turning my wheels. See, it turns out that if you freeze ripe bananas and then purée them in your food processor, what you get looks and tastes like a banana ice cream. Sure the fruit’s got a lot of natural sugar, but you end up saving yourself a shitload of calories by sparing your thunder thighs the rest of the goodies: cream, eggs and refined sugar. So I tried it. Froze a couple of bananas, puréed the puppies, tasted the result and smiled. This could work, I thought. This could be my salvation. This could be what gets me in a fucking bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding that isn’t the size of a circus tent, without having to live on rice cakes and….uhh…..more rice cakes. I stuck my new savior in the freezer and had some the next couple of days as my dessert. But salvation was short lived because I just can’t leave a good thing alone if it can go from good to great.

You know what tastes great with bananas? Chocolate. Yeah, chocolate tastes great with bananas. And rum. Dark rum is yummy with bananas. The angel on one shoulder was no doubt getting poked in the ass by the devil that sits on the other shoulder, and he was on the edge, losing his balance, and ready to fall off. And so this is where good intentions dead end, folks: banana/rum “ice cream” with Nutella chips. Adding the rum was not just a stroke of genius because it tasted great, but also because it kept the ice cream from becoming rock solid in the freezer. But then I thought of my favorite frozen treat, chocolate-covered frozen bananas, and thought well, how bad could a chocolate-covered frozen rum-soaked banana be?!? HMMMM?? So I spread a little Nutella on wax paper and froze it until it was hard enough that I could break it into small shards. Holy mother of Zeus was it good! And hey, at least I didn’t use bacon…..this time.

The next batch’s recipe has already been scratched out in my head: bananas with chocolate stout, a little maple syrup and yes, bacon. Peanut butter is of course always an option, but that’s too obvious an ingredient—I’ll leave it for the amateurs. Any other suggestions are welcome, but there is no formal complaint department here at Gonzo Gastronomy. So if this simple idea takes seed in your head and you wind up with your own concoctions, don’t come bitching to me. I told you to keep your eyes on the road.

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Jim May 19, 2010

Ha ha! Way to wreck a good thing by making it great, Katie! Your frozen treat sounds delicious, and I bet it’s still a lot healthier than real ice cream. At least until you add the bacon…

Reply

2 Barbara Kiebel May 19, 2010

I was supposed to be in on that exercise…but without bananas in the house and still dealing with recovering from a broken leg; I got a free pass and still have to honor the intent and get this done.

Seems everyone had their own variation that brought a bit more to the table than just plain bananas…actually it would be fair to say every ‘Went BANANAS’ on this…and I hope not to disappoint. We’re on the same page with the rum; I’ve been thinking Bananas Foster Ice Cream; oh my…want some now!

Reply

3 Linsey May 19, 2010

That blog made me laugh out loud … shame I hate bananas!

Reply

4 Katie Pizzuto May 19, 2010

It still is definitely better than regular ice cream, Jim, but like you said…”and then there was bacon”!

@Barb…I’m sure you’ll give us a run for our money with ideas. Bananas Foster ice cream would be great…scooped on top of a brownie 🙂

@Linsey…hate bananas? What’s WRONG with you?!? LOL. Do you hate banana-flavored things too, like banana bread?

Reply

5 Linsey May 19, 2010

I dont like the taste, the smell, the texture or the feel of bananas. Closest I get to a banana is the occasional bought smoothie.

I dont even like banana flavoured things.

Reply

6 Elle May 20, 2010

Nutella chips? You are a freaking genius, Katie. I’m almost jealous of your train of thought. Ok, I am!

Reply

7 RJ Flamingo May 20, 2010

My thought exactly: Nutella CHIPS?!? I put Nutella & chopped toasted hazelnuts in one of mine. But that is freaking GENIUS!!! Oh, yeah – Kahlua works, too. 😉

Reply

8 Katie Pizzuto May 20, 2010

Ya know, Frangelico would work well with the whole hazelnut theme, but I just got a Tweet from my beloved Terroir Wine Bar that suggested Madiera…..I’m ALL OVER THAT!

Reply

9 castello May 20, 2010

Put a little Barney Butter on/in it. It’s a slightly sweetened almond butter thats addictive and delicious on anything.

Reply

10 Don May 20, 2010

How about Baileys Irish Cream 🙂 ! Or Bourbon with Chocolate Stout! I bet this would be really good on top of Ice Cream!…with caramel and bacon…

Reply

11 Katie Pizzuto May 21, 2010

@Ed…I’ve definitely seen almond butter around here…will check it out.

@Don…Bourbon AND chocolate stout?! Talk about boozy banana ice cream…i’m diggin’ it!

Reply

12 Linsey May 21, 2010

read bourbon – thought bourbon biscuits crumbled over it … sort of like oreos but oblong and with chocolate filling

Reply

13 Coupe 60 May 21, 2010

To paraphrase Dennis Leary – I like fucking Ice cream flavored Ice Cream…

Though I will say yours sounds good too 😉

Reply

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: