Shockingly Delicious: Mango Banana Curry Ice Cream

Creamy, sweet, spicy, each flavor pops on your palate in harmony. Shockingly delicious, Mango Banana Curry Ice Cream. Must. Have. More. 


I know there are plenty of unusual ice creams out there. Sweet corn. Beet. But this is different. It's strangely addicting. Seriously addicting. Like you want to grab the tub and lock yourself away with it so you don't have to share. I served this to my roommate John and his unsuspecting sister Susan, along with some homemade vanilla ice cream, and we all wanted seconds on the Mango, Banana Curry ice cream. And then thirds. Poor vanilla.


I'm a sucker for the Ataulfo mangoes when they come into season in the spring. I eat too many, really. After the first couple of weeks, though, I usually have more of them parked in the fridge, dead ripe, than I can eat. So sometimes I freeze them. As I put a bag of the peeled and pitted mangoes into the freezer, I saw a couple of forlorn-looking frozen bananas on my frozen fruit shelf (yes, I have a frozen fruit shelf in my big freezer). They wound up there when they were too soft to eat, and were destined for banana muffins that I never  made.  A lightbulb moment: Cold- Mango- Banana. Hmmm...ho-hum....wait...Indian seasonings work in sweet mango  chutneys...Eureka.

Rich, creamy golden goodness,  Mango Banana Curry ice cream

This Mango Banana Curry ice cream is absolutely ravishing, both to the eye, in it's bright yellow hue, and on the palate. Be brave, make it today. I promise it'll be the best thing you've eaten this year so far.

Shockingly Delicious: Mango Banana Curry Ice Cream

Note: The vodka (alcohol) is simply to keep the ice cream from getting icy and and rock hard while it ripens in the freezer after churning. If you can't or won't use it, leave it out, but you'll have to take the ice cream out of the freezer to let it thaw a bit before serving. And use a sweet or mild curry powder here, you don't want to pack heat here, though it probably wouldn't be a bad thing if your family and guests are into it.

Mango Banana Curry Ice Cream

1 lb. peeled and diced mango, (preferably Ataulfo Mango in season) though thawed frozen mango works

2 very ripe medium-small bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup water

3/4 cup cane sugar

2 tsp. sweet curry powder (I use Penzeys)

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup creme fraiche or natural sour cream
2T vodka (or a light colored rum would work, too, yum)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Juice from 1/2 lime

In a medium saucepan, place the mango, the bananas and the water. Add the sugar and the curry powder, stir and cook over low heat until the mango softens, and becomes sauce-like. Place the mango mixture in a food processor, or blender container. Add the cream, creme fraiche, the vodka, the vanilla and the lime juice. Puree until smooth. Place in a metal bowl and chill for at least 2 hours or until the mixture is below 40ºF. Or put the mixture into a zip-top bag, and place into an ice and water bath until fully cold.

Place into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. After churning, freeze the mixture in a freezer container for three hours or more to ripen and harden. Makes about 1 .5 pints.

6 Kitchen Cheats That Beat the Heat

I really love to cook. I really DO love to cook. But when the temperature stays over 90° for days on end, often topping out past 100°, I like to cook a lot less. The most appealing place at that point is not the kitchen. You'll either find me in a pool, wearing Floaties on my arms and clutching a cold drink, or supine, on a sofa, again with a cold drink and the air-conditioning cranked. And I LIKE summer and hate winter. With that  in mind, I do actually cook, or at least prepare tasty edibles that rock and are fast, easy and most of all, cut down on the actual WORK that takes away from my pool floating time. I will probably get drummed out of the food blogosphere for this post, but here it is anyway.

1. If you find a few pre-made spice mixtures that you like, use them. No shame. Nothing faster than sprinkling something delish over a steak or chop and popping it on the grill, especially if you don't have to actually DO the grilling. Curry powder and chili powder are both mixtures that are in most folks spice cabinets, but there are numerous available that will do the trick. Check out how much salt and sugar are in there, though, as well as strange chemicals you don't want to eat. Both Mrs. Dash, Char Crust, and Paul Prudhomme products (none of those companies are paying me to say anything nice about them; I like them) are available in supermarkets, and are good, inexpensive mixes to start with. Anything you can find from Stonewall Kitchen is also to die for; a little pricier, but worth it.

Look carefully, tucked in between my fancy, "gour-may" stuff
 is my trusty Mrs. Dash and Char Crust.

2. Everyone knows about bagged lettuces, but everyone forgets about the lowly shredded cabbage and carrot mix called "Cole Slaw Mix." While it's all well and good with traditional cole slaw dressing on it, you can really go to town with it and all you have to do is open the bag. Plus it's often on sale for like a buck around here. Pop the bag open, and instead of cole slaw, mix it with some peanut sauce (bottled or scratch), some shredded scallion, some fresh cilantro and a few crunchy peanuts. Or just dump it into a soup, or--give it quick saute with some flavored oil and a splash of lime juice. Nice side with grilled fish. Cool, crunchy and good.

3. Rotisserie Chicken. Yes, it's fine eaten right off the carcass. No, you don't have to feel guilty about tossing out the picked over bones in the dead of summer. Although I will look down my nose at you for not making a quick stock with them. Everyone seems to have recipes for doctoring it up, but it's too hot for that. Just bring it home, and set it alongside whatever other things are lurking in your fridge and pantry that can be eaten cold, like olives, pickled beets or cucumbers and enjoy. Extra points if you arrange it all pretty-like on a platter as if you planned it.

4. Cold Braised Beef Roast. You heard me. Overnight, toss a pot roast cut of meat, like a bottom round or rump roast into your slow cooker, add some of your favorite spice mixture (see #1 up there) and add about a cup or so of wine. Any wine except "cooking wine". White, red, vermouth,,,whatever you have . Slap on the lid and cook on low until you arise in the morning when you can remove the meat, wrap it and pop into the fridge to slice cold for dinner. Keep the juices if you want to make the effort to make a French Dip, but roast beef sandwiches on good rye bread with mustard and pickles can't be beat for flavor or laziness. Or, just serve it like you did the chicken with goodies from the pantry or salad bar. Which brings us to...

5. The Salad Bar. If you don't live where the markets have really nice salad bars, then you need to move. I'm only half kidding.  Sometimes nothing is better than a little marinated mozzarella, a few artichoke hearts and a few roasted peppers with olives. Not a whole jar full. just a few. Add some chunks of good cheese and crusty bread and suddenly, it's a really nice meal. With some tweaks, and a visit to a salad bar like the one at a Whole Foods or a Wegman's you can do vegetarian, or gluten-free or even Paleo meals right off the bar.

6. Ice Cream for Dinner. I may have dreamed about this when I was 10, but now, I'm big and can do it almost any time I want. If it'll make you feel less guilty, pop a couple of cool scoops over an assortment of seasonal fruit. But a homemade chocolate fudge sundae, or a banana split for dinner is good for the soul. If you are really digging in your heels about this, then do low-fat frozen yogurt over fruit, or choose either greek yogurt or cottage cheese as an accompaniment for fruit. Personally, I'm going with the fudge sundae.

I actually have a favorite, and it would  be number 7. Just make dinner reservations. And to be honest, I really wanted to give you 13 Cheats in honor of Friday the 13th, ( I have way more) but, well, I was just too anxious to get back in the pool.  Happy, Hot Weekend!