Eleven Madison Park's Chocolate-Covered Banana-Crème Fraîche Ice-Cream Bar

Ingredients:

Ice cream bars:
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 tablespoon crème de banane liqueur
1⁄4 cup crème fraîche

Chocolate-macadamia glaze:
1⁄2 cup macadamia nuts
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons canola oil

Procedures:

Ice cream:
Bring the milk, cream, vanilla bean, and half of the sugar to a boil in a saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl. Gradually stir the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks, 1⁄3 cup at a time, to heat the yolks without cooking them. When one third of the cream mixture has been added, pour that mixture into the remaining hot cream, whisking constantly, off the heat, until thickened slightly.

Strain the hot custard through a fine sieve, transfer to a cool, clean container, and set over ice. When it's cold, stir in the banana, crème de banane, and crème fraîche. Transfer to an ice-cream machine, and process according to directions.

Spray an 8-inch square cake pan lightly with Pam. Line the pan with plastic wrap (the Pam will help the plastic adhere to the inside of the pan instead of the ice cream). Spread the soft ice cream into the pan evenly. Freeze overnight or until solid. Prepare glaze and assemble.

Chocolate-macadamia glaze:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the macadamia nuts on a sheet pan in the oven until they are golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool, and chop. Melt the chocolates together in a bowl set over simmering water. When they're fully melted, stir in the canola oil and the macadamia nuts. (May be prepared up to one week ahead.)

Assembly:
Remove the ice cream from the freezer, and gently lift the plastic wrap to unmold the ice cream. Quickly cut nine 2 1⁄2-inch squares, set on a pan covered with plastic wrap, and return to the freezer. If the glaze has cooled, heat it gently over a water bath or in the microwave until it's warm and fluid but not hot.

Dunk one square of ice cream into the bowl of glaze to completely coat. Using a spatula or fork, gently remove the square, set on a plastic-wrap-lined pan, and repeat with the rest of the bars. Immediately return them to the freezer, and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Makes 9 Servings