Bananas Foster Ice-Cream (Sous-Vide)

- July 09, 2020

The other day I decided I was going to make Banana Ice-Cream but decided to elevate it a bit and make a Bananas Foster's version. Nothing new per-se for me I've been making the dessert for 25 plus years for special occasions and when I want to put on a show.

History of Bananas Foster- Click to Enlarge

If you are Nerdy and love details keep reading.
Whole Milk & Banana Notes- Many of you know that I am a stickler for details and specificity. I am always looking at ways to elevate a dish. There's still preparation techniques that come into play when you create new recipes. I like to think through all the potential issues that might arise before attempting new things. One needs to know how to fix, modify, or mitigate what could have a diminishing effect on a recipe.

Ok, so what's up with Bananas? Bananas contain water, and the additional moisture will change the texture of the Ice-Cream. Ice-Creams creaminess depends on the size of the Ice-Crystals during freezing and adding extra water does not help. Although flavorful, adding fruit will have diminishing returns, unless we take specific steps to mitigate the excess moisture.

How can we change my Ice-Cream-Base to accommodate the extra moisture with the addition of Bananas? First, we have to find out roughly what the percentage of water is in the average Banana. I did a google search, and most say the average Banana contains 74% Water. I decided to use 2 Bananas for the recipe and weighed them as shown in the photo. Simple math... 258 grams X 74% (or .74) = 190.92 grams. So now we know that these 2 Bananas contain about 191 grams of water. So it was my thought to subtract this water content from the base.

Here is my Base Recipe Link. In my base recipe, I use 380 ml of milk so I decided to subtract the water from the milk. Milk contains about 90% water so I first needed to calculate the percentage of water in the milk. Simple Math... 380 ml X 90% (or .90) = 342 ml. So the milk contains 342 ml of water, and the Bananas contain 191 grams of water. Milk Water 342 ml- Banana Water 191 = 151 ml

Milk has 59% more water than Bananas. But how much Milk do we need for the recipe? How do we compensate for the increased viscosity provided by the Bananas?

We use Algebra or Cross Multiplication to solve for X and Y.

Here is an example

Here's a Link to help with Cross Multiplication.

The picture above is my attempt to explain what it is I do when I create a recipe. I take nothing for granted and always take into account all variables. If you are interested blow it up so you can get a closer look. Anyhow if you are not into all that nerdy stuff just add 2 Medium Bananas and 218 ml of Milk.

Instructions

Link to Base Ice-Cream

In a bowl add all the dry ingredients, mix and set aside. I used a whisk to mix.

Place Egg Yolks in a separate bowl with 70 grams of White Sugar and whip until the ribbon stage.
I used my Vitamix for this stage but any Mixer will work. Place the VitaMix bowl on a scale with a tare feature. Measure out the Cream, Milk, toss in Bananas, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Paste, Banana Extract Rum, and Banana Liqueur and gently puree.
Gently add dry ingredients. I would suggest doing this in 4 stages. At each stage gently mix.
Add the egg mixture and process until thoroughly combined.
Follow the instructions for my Base-Ice-Cream from this point forward.

Bananas Foster Sauce

Use 3-5 Bananas and slice across or on a diagonal.

Combine the butter, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large skillet. Cook on low -medium heat.
Depending on the ripeness of the Bananas, you will need to cook them for a minute up to about 3 minutes.
After the Bananas have softened a bit add the alcohol and stir to combine.
Note: Make sure to add both alcohols together.
Lift up the edge of the pan to ignite or use a lighter.
Keep shaking until the flames go out, which means the alcohol has burned off.