- 4 firm-ripe bananas
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- 1 vanilla bean, halve lengthwise
- a 2-by 1/2-inch piece lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup good-quality dark rum such as Bacardi Black
- 1/4 pound (about 1 1/2 tablets) Mexican chocolate such as Ibarra, chopped
- 1 cup half-and-half
- available at some specialty foods shops
- Prepare grill.
- Peel bananas and halve lengthwise. In a shallow baking pan large enough to hold bananas in one layer stir together butter and brown sugar and add bananas, tossing gently to coat. Transfer bananas with a metal spatula to an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals and grill until browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. (If bananas are difficult to handle you may grill them on 1 side only.)
- Serve bananas like a banana split with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
- In a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan combine cream and milk. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture, dropping in bean. Add zest and bring mixture just to boil.
- In a large metal bowl whisk together brown sugar and yolks until combined well. Add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking, and return custard to pan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and coats back of a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. (Do not let custard boil or it will curdle.)
- Pour custard through a very fine sieve into cleaned metal bowl and cool slightly. Stir in rum and chill, covered, until cold. Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts.
- In a heavy saucepan heat chocolate and half-and-half over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted. (The sauce will have a very thin consistency, like that of hot chocolate.) Serve sauce warm. Makes about 1 cup.