BANANA SPLIT ICE CREAM SUNDAE

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An ‘ice café’ in Germany is a coffee shop-style place where you sit in a pleasant environment to enjoy all kinds of ice cream creations, cakes, coffee, or tee. Almost every town and village has at least one of these cafés and they are especially popular in the afternoons or evenings. I had three favorite ice cream sundaes that I would typically order on those special outings. Banana split was one of them. The banana was cut in half lengthwise, then a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream were placed in between, and finally the whole thing was covered with plenty of chocolate sauce, creating the perfect blend of taste. Yum!

Unfortunately, all those sugary outings were a no-go for me once I changed my diet to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet in order to heal from gastrointestinal problems and chronic fatigue. You can read more about my health journey in the ABOUT ME part of this website. Over time, my gut started healing and as symptoms subsided, I had more and more energy for my daily tasks. I started cooking a greater variety of SCD recipes and eventually recreating my own healthy versions of old favorites.
This recipe for banana split ice cream is made with my homemade vanilla ice cream, free of sugar and lactose, sweetened with honey only. I added my creamy homemade chocolate sauce that always disappears immediately no matter how much I make. And I am more than happy that the final result tastes just like my old favorite dessert, only better - homemade!

The vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce can be made ahead of time and if you make a larger batch you can also use it for my spaghetti ice cream recipe. The creamy homemade chocolate sauce keeps well in the fridge and if you ever happen to have leftovers, pour them over fresh fruit or my super fluffy breakfast pancakes.

Voilà, perfect banana split ice cream! The only thing I can’t give you is the atmosphere of the ice café, but I am sure you will find a cozy spot at home to create the perfect ambience to enjoy this treat with family and friends.

INGREDIENTS
1 banana
3 scoops homemade vanilla ice cream (see recipe below)
1/4 cup creamy homemade chocolate sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel the banana and cut it lengthwise. Add the bananas to a plate. Place three scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream between the banana slices. Cover generously with chocolate sauce.

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VANILLA ICE CREAM
INGREDIENTS
1x Crème Anglaise, refrigerated (see recipe below)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I ferment the heavy whipping cream to make it easier to digest)
1/4 cup honey

tool: ice cream maker, glass container for the ice cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Make sure to freeze the container that you want to store the ice cream in ahead of time.

Set up the ice cream maker. Use the ice cream maker according to the instructions. Add all of the ingredients to the ice cream maker. Once the ice cream is done, add it to the prepared container and place it into the freezer.

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LACTOSE FREE CRÈME ANGLAISE
INGREDIENTS
1 can 13.5 fl oz coconut milk ( I use unsweetened organic coconut milk simple from Native Forest) or same amount of unsweetened almond milk (I use Elmhurst milked almonds 2 ingredients)
1 vanilla bean
4 egg yolks
3 tbsp honey

tools: cooking thermometer

INSTRUCTIONS
Using a spoon, scrape out the vanilla seeds from the bean.

Add the coconut/almond milk, vanilla seeds, and pod to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let sit for about 10 minutes.

In the next steps it is important to follow the correct order and to keep whisking to keep the egg yolks from overheating!

Add the egg yolks and honey to a small mixing bowl and whisk until it turns thick and creamy. Keep whisking while adding a couple tablespoons of the hot coconut/almond milk to the egg yolks.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan with the coconut/almond milk whisking constantly.

Attach a thermometer to the saucepan and return it to the stove. Turn the stove to medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens (this happens at 180°F/82°C ) (you can also test the consistency with the back of your wooden spoon - cover it with the sauce and run your finger across, you should see a visible track once it is thick enough). Immediately remove from the heat while continuing to whisk for a couple more minutes.

Crème Anglaise can be used warm or cold; refrigerate for storage.

note: I know chefs can do this without a thermometer but if you have never done this before, I recommend using a thermometer to make sure you reach the correct temperature and do not end up with scrambled eggs instead of Crème Anglaise.

Pour over your favorite desserts, ice cream, or cakes.

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