Banana Brownie Ice Cream

At A Wong，desserts are often a homage to regional chinese ingredients or plays on sweet snacks I have eaten over the years.Fujian Province grows fruits that onewould never think of as being produced in China，including bananas.This dish is a homage to both that and to the british apple crumble

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the crumble

200g plain flour

150g ground almonds

200g caster sugar

200g butter，at room temperature，diced

For the chocolate spheres

500g dark couverture chocolate drops（70%cocoa solids）

For the smoked banana

5 tablespoons uncooked rice

2 tablespoons caster sugar

2 teaspoons oolong tea leaves

2 bananas，peeled

For the caramel

100g caster sugar

50ml water

75g butter，chilled and diced

400ml double cream

vanilla ice cream，for assembling

1.For the crumble，preheat the oven to 180 C，Gas Mark 4.Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl，then rub in the butter with your fingertips.Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.cool

2.For the chocolate spheres，melt three-quarters of the chocolate drops in a heatproof bowl set over，but not touching，a pan of hot water，stirring frequently.Heat until the temperature of the chocolate reaches 55-58 ℃ .Meanwhile，finely chop the remaining chocolate drops.Once themelted chocolate reaches the correct temperature，remove one-third to a separate bowl and keep warm.Add the chopped chocolate to the remaining melted chocolate and heat，stirring，to 28 ℃ .Add the reserved melted chocolate and increase the temperature to 32 ℃ .Pour the tempered chocolate into a tray of 8 silicone 7cm half-sphere chocolate moulds and leave to set in a cool place（but not in the refrigerator）

3.For the smoked banana，line a multilayered smoker with 2 layers of foil.Mix the rice，sugar and tea leaves together and spread out on the foil in the lower layer.Turn on the fire.When heavy smoke begins to form，turn off the fire and place the bananas in the upper layer of the smoker Smoke for 10 minutes then cover with foil and leave for a further 10 minutes Transfer the bananas to a saucepan and cook with a little water，stirring，until they break down into a puree Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside

4.For the caramel，mix the sugar with the water in a heavy-based pan and heat over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved，without stirring.Increase the heat and boil until the sugar turns a caramel colour Stir in the butter and cream and cook until you have a smooth caramel sauce

5. To assemble place a small blob of caramel in the centre of a serving plate then top with one chocolate half-sphere and press in place until secured. Spoon 1 tablespoon of smoked bananapuree on top then top with a small spoon of vanilla ice cream. Cover with another chocolate half-sphere to form a complete sphere. Surround with the crumble

6. When about to serve to your guests, reheat the remaining caramel and, at the table, pour this over the chocolate spheres-watch it melt them to reveal the banana puree and vanilla ice ream hidden within

CHEFS TIP

You won’t need the full quantity given for the chocolate, but it is easier to work with an ample amount when filling the moulds. Any leftover can be saved and re-used.

hancheng

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