For Christmas, Andrew/Father Christmas bought me an ice cream maker. Now, I know that, to many people, this is almost on a par with being bought a vacuum cleaner or a new oven as a birthday or Christmas present, but for me it is yet another fabulous kitchen appliance and I can never have enough such items!

Although the weather has not yet produced temperatures conducive to the scoffing of ice cream, it’s a perfect time to experiment in readiness for warmer days.

We had some ripe bananas in the larder so it made sense to use these as the basis for our recipe. Also, bear in mind that this recipe is written for an ice cream maker rather than a no-churn variety, although I am sure it would freeze equally well without the churning. I was also on the timid side when it came to the addition of the rum, as I didn’t want to overpower the caramel flavour, but I am sure the recipe will develop a little as we go along…

CARAMELISED BANANA, RUM AND SULTANA ICE CREAM

Ingredients

For the caramelised banana

100 g sugar
60 g salted butter
100 ml double cream
3 very ripe or overripe bananas, cut into slices
1 tbsp rum
A handful of sultanas

For the custard base

500 ml full-fat milk
100 ml double cream
100 ml condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
100 g sugar
3 eggs

Method

Firstly, I made the banana flavouring. In a heavy frying pan, add the sugar and slowly dissolve it. You want the granules of sugar to melt, the syrup start to smoke and the colour to change to golden brown. Remove from the heat and then add the butter. Stir a little while the butter melts and then add the bananas. Coat the bananas in the buttery caramel and don’t worry if the caramel starts to harden. Add a good handful of sultanas and the tablespoon of rum. Place the pan back on a low heat for around 5 - 10 minutes and the caramel will start to soften again. Pour in the double cream and stir well. Remove from the heat.

Pour this mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Now to make the custard base.

In a bowl, place the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract and whisk well.

In a large saucepan, add the milk, cream and condensed milk and heat gently until it almost reaches simmering point.

While still whisking the egg mixture, gently pour in the heated milk, beating all the time. Once the milk has been incorporated, return the custard to the saucepan and place over a very gentle heat. You need to be patient here, as if you heat the custard too quickly it may curdle (not the end of the world, as it can be rescued). Heat very gently, stirring all the time until the custard starts to thicken; this will take about 10 minutes.

If the mix does curdle, remove the pan from the heat and place the pan base in a bowl or sink of cold water to cool the mix down. Beat well until the custard regains its lovely smooth texture.

Once the custard is smooth and thick, add the banana mix and stir well.

Pour the flavoured custard into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film and allow it to cool before refrigerating overnight.

To make the ice cream, pour the mix into the ice cream maker and churn for 20 - 30 minutes, depending on your machine. The mixture will have thickened to a soft freeze consistency and can then be spooned into a container for freezing. The ice cream needs at least 2 hours in the freezer to reach the right consistency for serving.

Although this is delicious on its own, we will also be serving this alongside a pear tarte tatin, perhaps, or as an accompaniment for our caramelised pear and banana cake!

The ice cream maker has already proved its worth; so many more summery recipes to come!