James Martin makes his trademark instant banana ice cream to serve alongside gooey chocolate puddings. Remember to freeze your bananas beforehand.
Ingredients
- For the crème anglaise
-
- 150ml/5fl oz
milk - 150ml/5fl oz
double cream - 1
vanilla pod, split, seeds removed - 4 free-range
egg yolks - 40g/1½oz
caster sugar
- 150ml/5fl oz
- For the chocolate puddings
-
- 125g/4½oz
butter, softened, plus extra for greasing - 125g/4½oz
dark chocolate (50-60% cocoa solids), broken into pieces - 4 free-range
eggs - 100g/3½oz
caster sugar - 60g/2½oz
plain flour
- 125g/4½oz
- For the banana ice cream
-
- 4
bananas, peeled, cut into chunks, frozen in a freezer bag or on a tray - ¼ tsp
vanilla essence - 3-4 tbsp
caster sugar - 200ml/5fl oz
buttermilk
- 4
- For the sautéed bananas
-
- 50g/2oz
butter - 2
bananas, peeled, cut into chunks - 50ml/2fl oz
brandy - 25g/1oz
caster sugar
- 50g/2oz
Preparation method
-
For the crème anglaise, place the milk, cream, vanilla pod and seeds into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
-
Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl, then slowly whisk in the hot milk until well combined. Return the mixture to the saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook until just thickened, stirring all the time.
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For the chocolate puddings, preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Grease four 5cm/2in dariole moulds with butter, using a pastry brush and brushing in horizontal lines around the inside of the tins to help the mixture rise.
-
Melt the chocolate and butter into a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. (Do not allow the base of the bowl to touch the water.)
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Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl for two minutes or until pale and fluffy, then mix in the flour. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
-
Spoon the mixture into the moulds so that they are three-quarters full and tap lightly to remove any air bubbles. (The puddings can be frozen at this stage, defrost thoroughly before baking.)
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Place the puddings onto a baking tray and bake for eight minutes.
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Meanwhile, for the banana ice cream, remove the frozen bananas from the freezer and leave to defrost slightly for a few minutes. Blend the frozen bananas, vanilla, sugar and half of the buttermilk in a food processor until smooth. While the motor is running, slowly add the remaining buttermilk and continue to blend until smooth and creamy.
-
For the sautéed bananas, heat a frying pan until hot, add the butter and bananas and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until just golden-brown. Add the brandy and flambé the liquid by slowly tilting the pan towards the gas flame to set alight, or lighting it with a match. Let the flames flare up then die down. (Caution: keep your face and hair away from the flames. Do not leave unattended.)
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Add the sugar and continue to cook until the sugar has melted and the bananas are caramelised.
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To serve, turn the chocolate puddings out onto serving plates and spoon the ice cream and bananas alongside. Drizzle over the crème anglaise.