Saturday, May 22, 2010

One Ingredient Ice Cream

Hard to imagine, isn't it? I saw this on the internet and was immediately intrigued.

Can you guess what the ingredient is?

I'll give you some hints. To be called ice cream, it really
should be made of dairy products and contain 10% milk fat. So, in all fairness, this isn't really ice cream, it just seems like ice cream.
Still clueless? It's gluten free, dairy free, and fat free.

Most children like this flavor and will eat it!


Plus, you don't need an ice cream maker.



Don't feel bad if you didn't guess -- I didn't, either.


It's banana. No kidding. Seems you can freeze bananas and then spin them into banana ice cream, or perhaps sorbet would be a more appropriate name, although it does turn out sort of creamy.

So, in the name of research, and thrilled that I may have
found an ice cream that I could eat without guilt, I tried to make it. I froze four bananas. Two of them already sported black spots on the peels, two of them were fresher, but declining.

It turns out that you can't just
peel frozen bananas like you do fresh bananas. A simple paring knife did a nice job of cutting away the peel and slicing them.

I placed the frozen slices into my food processor and let it whirl. I stopped it about five times to scrape the sides and redistribute the contents. Eventually, though, I could see it going into a nice smooth frozen custard type consistency.

Unfortunately, my hopes for a delicious, guilt-free ice cream were dashed. Unless you have completely eliminated sugar from your diet,
and you're living on some remote island filming Survivor Ninety-Nine, this is not going to replace ice cream.

Surprisingly, the consistency isn't bad. It's very smooth and creamy and you really don't notice the absence of dairy. Being an evil sugar fiend, I added a squeeze (about a tablespoon) of Agave (you could use honey, or perhaps maple syrup) and roughly a teaspoon of lemon. What a difference! It became refreshing and pleasant, if not exactly yummy. Ben & Jerry have nothing to worry about. Bring on the cream.







Julie’s first book in the Manor of Murder Mystery series, Grace Under Pressure (starred review in Publishers Weekly!), debuts June 1st! To help launch the book and to celebrate its release, she's running a very special contest: Pre-order Grace Under Pressure any time before May 31, 2010, and you're eligible to win a $25 gift certificate from Mystery Lovers Bookshop! (and if you've already pre-ordered, you just need to let Julie know!) No receipts required. Just email Julie at JulieHyzy@gmail.com with the date that you pre-ordered and the name of the bookstore you ordered it from, and your name goes in! (Please put "CONTEST" in the subject header. Thanks!)

Here are a few helpful links to get you started:
Independent Bookstore List: here
- Mystery Lovers Bookshop (free shipping on book orders over $10!) - Centuries & Sleuths (Julie's local mystery bookstore)


And while we're here...

Avery is offering FREE BOOKMARKS on her website. Click this FREE BOOKMARK link to send her your information.

Her "fan club" contest just ended on May 15 (winner to be announced on the website and in the newsletter soon). Learn about upcoming contests on the Avery Aames website and check out the "fun stuff."

8 comments:

  1. Oh, the possibilities!!! Love this idea, Krista, and (of course) I'm thinking of defeating the health purpose totally by adding chocolate syrup and crushed nuts - a kind of ice cream-less banana split :) Sweet post!

    Banana Lover
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  2. I'd never have known~! Love this idea...and the face it's fat-free and would add potassium to our diets here!

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  3. Ha, I figured it out but that's because I make gluten-free banana bread every week and those bananas whip up to instant sugar! Great idea and love all the things we could tweak frozen banana with. Lovely!
    ~Avery

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  4. I love experiments in the kitchen! How fun! I have a few bananas going soft on me right now so maybe I'll give this a whirl (pun intended) tomorrow after I freeze them today. My family and I are going to be looking for some snacks for watching the series finale of LOST tomorrow. I absolutely cannot wait! Perfect snack for a marooned on a desert island show, don't you think? Thanks, Krista!

    Julie

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  5. Cleo, it's hard to resist the temptation to dress it up! Chocolate sauce makes everything taste better!

    Elizabeth, I think this could be a fun thing for kids to do on an unbearably hot day.

    You're so clever, Avery! I was thinking they might make a good base for a pitcher of mixed drinks.

    Julie, this *is* the perfect snack for a show about being marooned on a desert island. Just be prepared to dress it up for the viewers who aren't actually marooned and desperate!

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  6. Krista, I have a recipe for banana mint ice cream (from a cooking class taken long ago). It calls for 5 ripe bananas (peeled and cut in chunks but not frozen), 1/2 cup sour cream, 3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/3 c. confectioners sugar, and 2 tsp. minced mint leaves. Okay, there go the non-sugar, non-dairy advantages, but it sure is good. You freeze it in a tray or something until firm.

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  7. Krista, this is such a nice alternative for using spotted bananas. I for one am getting tired of making banana bread!

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  8. Wow. You always make my mouth water.

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