Banana and Rum gelato – ICE CREAM NATION

That is truly a basic Italian gelato despite the fact that it could invoke photographs of Caribbean pirates having a superb time. The recipe is effectively price attempting: simple to make, no eggs, and really tasty! The banana is good in its personal proper, however the rum does add a pleasantly grownup Caribbean contact! 

“Lengthy John Silver and his Parrot” by James Edwin McConnell. The enduring guide “Treasure Island” (first revealed 1883) is, after all, written by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Bananas and Rum – Carribean cousins

Originating in Southeast Asia, the primary bananas got here to Europe across the time of the Roman Empire, however main buying and selling solely took off a lot, a lot later. Spanish and Portuguese colonialists introduced the bananas to the Carribean within the early 1500’s, beginning on the island of Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican republic). The Carribean local weather turned out to be ultimate for bananas, they usually quickly grew to become a staple crop of the area.

(“Banana lady”: photograph by Gunnar Mallon from Pixabay)

About 100 years later, within the seventeenth century, rum was invented within the Carribeans. It’s believed that slaves have been the primary to find that molasses, a by-product of refining the newly launched sugar canes, may very well be fermented and distilled into alcohol. However what in regards to the pirates? Effectively, they most likely had their fill too, because the invention of rum just about coincides with the “Golden period of Caribbean piracy”. However the well-known “Yo, Ho, Ho And a Bottle of Rum” has truly solely been round since 1883, when the then-fictional tune first appeared in “Treasure island”, and firmly established Rum because the pirate’s drink of alternative. 

Nevertheless, neither Lengthy John Silver nor any of his less-fictious pirate brethren had entry to the freezing strategies required for ice cream making. But when they might have had it, this gelato mixture would most likely have grow to be an on the spot Caribbean favorite!

Taking all cues from the late, nice Italian meals icon Marcella Hazan, her gelato recipe doesn’t use any eggs and no cream however milk: the consistency is especially ensured by the bananas and the sugar.

In case you surprise if the sugar is likely to be excluded, the reply is a “Sure however …”: eradicating the sugar from the equation would nonetheless web you one thing akin to ice cream (“nicecream”, as some would label it) and certain fulfilling if eaten proper after the churning. Nevertheless, as usually is such instances, this “nicecream” would quickly freeze stable if left in a freezer.

Banana and rum gelato, in precept as per Marcella Hazan’s recipe.

Doing the gelato

Marcella Hazan’s recipe could be very simple: Peel and purée the bananas, combine them effectively with the sugar, the milk and a bit rum rum – you’re completed. Churn and revel in! A blender may very well be very helpful for the blending, and if in case you have no ice cream machine – use your freezer to still-freeze the gelato!

As at all times with banana ice cream, go for ripe bananas! They’ll even verge on “over-ripe” – whereas they might look a bit ugly on the skin, they style nice and are perfect for all kinds of banana desserts!

On the dairy, Hazan solely makes use of milk however I changed a few of it with a bit crème fraiche: I typically just like the slight tart contact this tends to present to dairy mixes (and right here additionally provides a bit bit extra fats to an in any other case not-very-fat combine).

What in the event you don’t wish to add any alcohol? Effectively, chances are you’ll attempt to change the (alcoholic) rum with some (non-alcoholic) rum essence or comparable – or just accept the banana, maybe together with some chocolate sauce?

Pureeing the bananas – along with the remainder of the components!

The bottom is mixed – time so as to add a Caribbean contact of pirate-adequate darkish rhum!

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Simply churned … and scrumptious!

The ultimate end result – not only for pirates

Banana and rum gelato

Few issues may very well be simpler than making this banana gelato. But, regardless of the super-easy steps to make it, the ice cream is seductively good – offered that you just just like the banana flavour, after all. The bananas are wealthy in fiber and do a superb job of conserving the gelato structurally sound even with none eggs. The rum provides a scrumptious, mature contact to the general flavour and goes very effectively with the banana.

Simply out of churning, the ice cream consistency can come throughout as a bit on the delicate aspect: for a firmer ice cream, simply go away it the freezer for an hour or two.  Personally, I’m extraordinarily keen on the delicate, just-churned selection so in the event you’re like me, there may not at all times be something left to freeze in the long run :-).

The banana and rum gelato additionally goes effectively with chocolate sauce!

– HEY! You have been supposed to combine that rum with the bananas!