I love desserts that look ultra-fancy but are deceptively easy to pull off. This Banana Caramel Swirl Ice Cream was no harder to pull off than most ice creams, and even the caramel sauce was simple to make. You just spoon some ice cream straight from the machine into a container, drizzle caramel over it, drag a skewer through the caramel to create the marbled design, then repeat in layers. There's no technique to wielding the skewer either -- moving the skewer any which way creates gorgeous swirls.
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| The hot caramel sputters up when cream is added. Be careful! |
The caramel sauce is as simple as cooking sugar, water, and corn syrup together; then adding cream, and stirring in cold butter. To help avoid crystal formation, which can ruin your whole batch, I cook the caramel with the lid on for the first few minutes -- the steam will build up and run down the sides, washing away any potential crystals.
The ice cream is smooth and creamy, with no iciness. The flavor is reminiscent of banana bread, and the caramel sauce adds a more complex sweetness. The chocolate lover in me wants to swirl this with chocolate sauce next time.
