Soy salted caramel sauce = naughty, decadent, and good enough to eat straight from the jar.

Banana “ice cream” = healthy, dead simple to whip up, and does a darn good job of fooling your brain into thinking it is the real deal.

TOGETHER = a treat that you can have, eh hmm, every day.

Try it and tell me how you get on!

 

SOY SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE + ICE CREAM

To get the most intense caramel-ly flavour, I like to cook the sugar to the point where it is *just* about to burn. I would rather burn a batch of sugar and start all over again than end up with a lacklustre caramel. This is especially true if I want the caramel to sing alongside the moreish savouryness of the soy sauce.

As for the soy sauce, take the quantity provided here as a guide. You might find it too salty so I suggest starting with 1 tablespoon and adding more until the saltiness is juuuust right for you.

Be sure to make the caramel in a larger saucepan than you think you’ll need to avoid losing it all over the stove top. The sauce will bloom in size when you add the butter and cream, before settling down to a glossy pool of caramel heaven.

Finally, the ice cream is super customisable. Add cocoa powder to satisfy a chocolate craving. Honey for extra sweetness. Cinnamon to export you somewhere more exotic (or maybe you’re there already!). Tahini to achieve an earthy richness. And…how could I forget peanut butter?

Makes about 1 1/3 cup of sauce and 1 serving of ice cream.

SAUCE

1C sugar

90g butter, cubed

1/2C + 2T double cream

2T light soy sauce

ICE CREAM

Bananas (1 large banana per serving)

Slice bananas and place on a baking tray covered in clingfilm/gladwrap. Freeze until solid, usually at least 3 hours (the more solid the bananas, the more ice cream-y the final texture). Store in a container.

Melt sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Gently stir the sugar every half a minute or so to ensure even melting. If you find that the sugar gets clumpy from too much stirring, just turn down the heat and let it melt again slowly. Keep cooking until the melted sugar turns dark copper in colour, about 10 minutes.

Add the butter and mix thoroughly; it will foam up at this point. Remove saucepan from heat. Add the cream and whisk until the foam settles. Leave to cool.

When the sauce has cooled enough to have a taste test, mix in the soy sauce, checking for flavour as you go. And that’s it! The sauce will keep in the fridge for two weeks.

Now, let’s say you get a mad craving for ice cream…

Your bananas are in the freezer. Your sauce is waiting in the fridge.

Gently warm the sauce in the microwave until it reaches a drizzle-able consistency. Whizz about 1 cup of frozen banana slices in a food processor until smooth. Use a spatula every now and then to dislodge the ice cream from the blades and sides.

Ice cream in bowl. Sauce at the ready.

Drizzle liberally. Dig in immediately.