Banana Bread with Caramel Ice Cream and Pecan Brittle

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Tom Colicchio includes a recipe in his for caramel ice cream in the book, 'wichcraft (Clarkson Potter, $32), which is great to make if you have an ice cream freezer. If you don't, buy a good-grade caramel ice cream and used it instead. Substitute canola oil for grape seed if desired.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ¾ cup grape seed oil
  • ¾ banana purée
  • ¾ cup bananas, mashed with a fork
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

Pecan brittle:

  • 1½ cups shelled pecans
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup corn syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 1 litre caramel ice cream

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter and line base with parchment paper.

Whisk together sugar and oil. Whisk in all bananas, eggs, sour cream and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Stir flour, baking soda and salt together. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until golden, firm to touch and a cake tester comes out clean.

To make the pecan brittle, spread pecans on baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes or until dark and fragrant.

Mix sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to boil. Boil until a light caramel colour or a sugar thermometer reads 300 F. Remove from heat and carefully stir in baking soda, pecans and salt.

Spread on buttered baking sheet carefully with a heat-resistant rubber spatula. Cool and break into pieces.

To assemble, let the ice cream defrost at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix brittle into ice cream. Cut loaf into 8 slices. Spread ice cream over 4 slices right to the edge. Sprinkle some sea salt over ice cream. Top with the remaining 4 slices of banana bread and freeze for one hour before serving. Don't leave in freezer too long as the brittle dissolves into the ice cream. Serves 4 to 8.