Chocolate Espresso Banana Ice Cream with Toasted Almond, Marshmallow, Fudge, and Shortbread Pieces (Serves 6-8)
Ice Cream Base
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ cups milk
2 large eggs
1 cup fine white sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 shot strong espresso
3 Bananas, ripe
3 tblsp Brown Sugar
1 tblsp Sweet Butter (no salt)
1 jar Chocolate Fudge
¼ cup Almond Slices
¼ cup Mini Marshmallows
¼ cup Short Bread Cookies
Toast the sliced almonds in a pan over low heat until they turn slightly toasted, keep them moving every 15 seconds or so, about 5 minutes total. Set aside to cool.
Peel the bananas and slice them ¼ inch thick. In a large skillet, over medium low heat, melt the butter, add in the banana slices and then add the brown sugar. Cook until the banana slices start to loose their shape and integrity, but not mush! Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Break up the short bread cookies into ¼ inch chunks, set aside.
Have the jar of fudge at the ready, set aside.
Melt the unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler (I used a small steel bowl in a small skillet with hot water on low heat), as the chocolate melts, start adding in the cocoa powder, a little at a time until it is blended well with the melted chocolate. Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until it is well blended. Add the shot of espresso, mix well. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Now whisk in the sugar a little at a time until all the sugar is incorporated.
Pour in the cream and vanilla and whisk to blend.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture and blend. Cover and refrigerate until cold. About 1-3 hours.
Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
When the mixture in the machine is almost to the point you want your ice cream at, add the extras in, the banana mixture, fudge, marshmallows, toasted almond slices and short bread pieces. Let the machine run another 2-4 minutes and transfer to a freezer container or two, minus a taste tester teaspoon... err tablespoon worth!
In my case, once I added the fudge, cookie pieces, marshmallows, almonds and bananas in the machine's drum, it wouldn't turn, so if this happens to you, just turn off the machine remove the blade/agitator and pour into your final freezer container and give it a brief hand mixing to your liking, like a swirl or in my case I made a zig-zag pattern.