Coconut Banana Ice Cream

Rich and creamy with a taste of the tropics... it was on the menu for breakfast this morning, and with its low-fat calorie count, my nearly bikini ready waistline didn't care.  I must preface that we don't usually have ice cream for breakfast, but the lovely morning light streaming in my window creating an almost perfectly lit photo shoot left me with a semi-soft bowl of photographed ice cream.  And, it was fabulous.

Dairy free for my lactose intolerant family, those bananas stacking up in my freezer were put to good use.  Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk replace the heavy cream but didn't lose any of the luscious creaminess.

A delicate swirl of melted dark chocolate hardened in the frozen concoction bringing a bite to each taste, and a topping of crunchy coconut flakes had me swooning.

With visions of tropical locales spinning through my head, I just may put this delight on the menu for breakfast more often.

Coconut Banana Ice Cream
Using up those overripe bananas never tasted so good!  Brown spotted bananas might be a tad soft of eating out of hand, but make wonderful ingredients to banana recipes.  Sweeter than their less ripe cousins, the bananas bring a full banana flavor to this rich ice cream.  Low Fat Coconut Milk adds that tropical flair with bringing a luscious creaminess that will have you adding this ice cream to your breakfast menu as well.  Enjoy!
Adapted from my all time favorite ice cream book:  The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, Drinks, And More
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2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
pinch salt
2  cups low fat coconut milk
2 very ripe bananas, well mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Roasted Coconut Chips
1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and add the sugar.  With a fork or whisk, whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and completely incorporated.  Add the flour and salt, stir to combine and set aside.

In a medium saucepan add 1 cup of the coconut milk and place on the stove over medium heat.  Stirring often, bring to a simmer.  Remove from the stove and slowly pour the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture, stirring constantly.  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over low heat on the stove.  Stirring constantly for about a minute, remove when the mixture has thickened slightly.  Do NOT allow the mixture to boil or the eggs will scramble.

Remove from heat and pour into a clean bowl.   Add the mashed banana and stir.  Then add the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk and the vanilla extract, stirring again to combine.

Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, or until cold.

Place the chilled custard into your ice cream maker and follow the maker directions.  When the mixture is almost finished, add 1/4 cup of roasted coconut chips.  Allow to finish churning.

While the ice cream is finishing, melt the chopped chocolate.  Set aside.

Scrape the finished ice cream into a chilled bowl and drizzle with the melted chocolate.  Working quickly, swirl the melted chocolate into the ice cream.  Note that the chocolate will harden quickly when it touches the cold ice cream.

Cover and freeze.  Serve topped with addition all roasted coconut chips.

 
Liv Life Note:  I'm positively addicted to Trader Joe's new Roasted Coconut Chips!  Described as "mature coconuts soaked in fresh, young coconut milk, roasted with a touch of salt and sugar", these coconut chips are irresistible!