Banana Coconut Ice Cream

I decided yesterday it was time to break out the ice cream maker this year. I recently got a copy of Dave Lieberman's Perfect Scoop and there are so many delicious looking recipes I can't wait to try. We finally got new furniture for our patio, and are shopping for a grill. I foresee a barbecue with homemade ice cream very soon! In the meantime, I wanted to make a quick treat to go with dinner last night. I made this Cooking Light recipe last year and loved it. There is no cooking involved and very few ingredients. Also, it omits the heavy cream used in most ice cream recipes but does not sacrifice on flavor or creaminess at all. I omit the 1/3 cup sugar completely. The mixture is plenty sweet. If you think you want to add the sugar, I would recommend tasting the mixture first. If you own an ice cream maker, I highly recommend keeping the freezer can in your freezer. I keep mine there, because you never know when the urge to make ice cream will hit an you don't want to wait 8 hours for the can to freeze. To prevent freezer burn, you can line it with plastic wrap.


Banana Coconut Ice Cream
Source: Cooking Light May 2007

1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup cream of coconut
1/3 cup sugar (I omit)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in banana; cover and chill.

Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon ice cream into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 1 hour or until firm.

8 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)