Martha Stewart Banana-Caramel Ice Cream

Martha Stewart Banana-Caramel Ice Cream turns very ripe bananas, a rich egg custard and homemade butter caramel into a creamy swirled frozen dessert, ready in 5 hours 20 minutes. This make-ahead easy dessert fits summer cookouts, birthday parties and Fourth of July dinners, since it keeps in the freezer for a day.

Start with bananas that are more brown than yellow, because their sugars are what give the ice cream its deep banana flavor. Use firm yellow ones and the result tastes faint and starchy, no matter how good the caramel is.

Martha strains the banana custard through a fine sieve before chilling, which keeps the base silky instead of stringy. She also layers the loaf pan in thirds, so the caramel swirls all the way through and doesn't just sit on top.

Martha Stewart Banana-Caramel Ice Cream

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

520

kcal

A chilled banana custard churns into a dense, creamy ice cream that gets ribboned with warm butter caramel. Layering and swirling in three rounds keeps the caramel in every scoop.

Ingredients

• 4 large egg yolks
  

• 1 2/3 cups sugar, divided
  

• 1 2/3 cups whole milk
  

• 1 2/3 cups plus ½ cup heavy cream, divided
  

• 3 to 4 very overripe bananas (skin should be more brown than yellow), mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
  

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  

• 1/4 cup water
  

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
  

• 1/2 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  

Directions

• Make the custard: Whisk 4 egg yolks and 2/3 cup sugar in a medium bowl until pale yellow and slightly fluffy, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 1 2/3 cups whole milk and 2/3 cup cream to a boil in a medium saucepan. Then remove it from the heat and gradually whisk it into the yolks.
• Cook the custard: Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and cook about 1 minute more until it coats the spatula, without letting it boil.
• Cool the custard: Pour the custard into a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water. Let it cool, stirring now and then, so it doesn't overcook.
• Blend in the bananas: Puree 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas with half the custard in a blender until smooth, then stir that back into the remaining custard. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1 cup of the cream, then pour it all through a fine sieve into another bowl.
• Chill the base: Refrigerate the banana custard for at least 2 hours, though overnight is better. A truly cold base churns up creamier.
• Start the caramel: Combine 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon corn syrup and the remaining sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally without stirring. Then raise the heat to high and cook about 9 minutes more, until the mixture turns deep amber.
• Finish the caramel: Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour in the remaining 1/2 cup cream, then add the remaining salt and simmer for 1 minute. Set the pan in a bowl of ice water until the caramel is warm but not hot. Then whisk in 1/2 stick cold butter a few pieces at a time.
• Churn the ice cream: Put a 5-by-10-inch loaf pan (9 cups) in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Freeze the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Swirl and freeze: Spread one-third of the ice cream in the cold pan and drizzle with one-third of the caramel, which should be fluid but barely warm. Swirl it in with a wooden skewer, repeat twice more, then freeze until firm, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Tools for this recipe

• USA Pan 1-pound loaf pan, Vitamix E310 blender, Cuisinart fine mesh strainer set, Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla extract, 8 oz. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

How ripe do the bananas need to be?

The skins should be more brown than yellow, which means 3 to 4 very overripe bananas for about 1 1/2 cups mashed. Spotty yellow bananas won't cut it, because the flavor gets weaker and starchier the less ripe they are.

Can I make this without an ice cream maker?

The recipe is written for a machine, so I'd stick with one for the smoothest texture. If you don't have one, pour the chilled base into a shallow pan. Stir it with a fork every 30 minutes until it sets, though the result will be a bit icier.

How far ahead can I make the ice cream?

You can chill the custard base overnight before churning, which actually helps it freeze creamier. Once layered in the pan, it freezes firm in at least 4 hours and keeps for up to 1 day. That makes it a good dessert to prepare the day before a party.

Why does the caramel need to cool before I add the butter?

Cooling the caramel to warm but not hot lets the cold butter whisk in smoothly instead of separating. It also keeps the caramel from melting the ice cream into soup when you drizzle it on, so reheat it only slightly if it gets too thick.

What's the most common mistake with the custard?

Letting it boil is the big one, because the yolks scramble and the base turns grainy. Keep the heat at medium for the last minute, stir constantly, and pull it off once it coats the spatula.