Just Straight Up Banana Gelato

I was going to make banana-stracciatella gelato last night (and will, at some point) but I was caught up in the fact that my bananas in the custard had turned brown (as bananas, out of their peel, are wont to do) and completely forgot about the chocolate.

The recipe, which I adapted from the book "The Ultimate Ice Cream Book" -- a book that's gotten rave reviews so I wanted to like it -- said to put the bananas in the custard before chilling. Since the bananas turned brown, I cannot recommend this. Simple solution: I pressed the liquid of the custard through a fine-mesh stainer to remove the brown particles, and added new mashed bananas before immediately freezing it in the machine. This worked perfectly.

I used three eggs. Eggs are your friend, when it comes to creamy, custardy gelato. Some use only the yolk, and some use the whole egg. This particular recipe called for the whole egg. You can also make this custard with any fruit or add-in. Since you will add the main flavor ingredient(s) at the end, it doesn't really matter what you add, and the gelato texture will likely have the same result as with the bananas.

Also, I made this a sugar-free, lower-fat recipe, but will give the alternatives for those using the real thing. As usual, I use a combination of Xylitol (birch) and Stevia leaf as sugar substitutes.

Without further ado, I present a delightful gelato custard with banana. This recipe is easy, but it takes several hours to make (includes cooling times for the custard), so take that into consideration.

Ingredients.

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup Xylitol (sugar substitute) + 1 TB Stevia (or use 3/4 cup sugar, if desired)
• 1 1/2 TBs arrowroot powder or cornstarch (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free milk (use whole milk, if desired)
• 1 cup light cream (use heavy cream, if desired)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 TBs banana liqueur (optional)
• 2 bananas, mashed with the tines of a fork

Instructions.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, arrowroot or cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Remove from heat and slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. When all of the milk has been beaten into the eggs, pour the entire custard mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens slightly, about 4 or 5 minutes.

Remove custard from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the cream, vanilla, and liqueur. Cover and refrigerate until cold. When custard is cold, stir mashed bananas into the mixture and immediately freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. The gelato will be soft when finished. For firmer texture, freeze for at least two hours in a freezer-safe container.