A non Greek told me recently that they have not come across another nation more resourceful when it comes to food for the long fasting periods we have in the Greek Orthodox Church. For me personally, fasting was always a great excuse to eat foods I love like tahini, halva, olives, fresh vegetables and fruit. This dessert ticks all the fasting boxes, is delicious and looks great too! If you don’t have lecithin to help create a smoother ice cream, you could try mixing 1 heaped tbsp of corn flour in a small cup of coconut milk and add to the rest, bringing it to a heat to thicken.
For the caramel
- A can of coconut milk (400g)
- 30g tapioca pearls
- Pinch of salt
- 12 dates, stoned and roughly chopped
For the caramelised pineapple
- 1 pineapple ring, cored and chopped in small dice
- 1 tbsp of soft dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp of ouzo
For the caramelised banana ice cream
- 50ml coconut oil
- 2 heaped tbsp honey
- 4 ripe but firm medium size bananas
- 300ml coconut milk
- 200ml coconut cream
- 2g of lecithin
For the carob and hazelnut crumb
- 20ml coconut oil
- 25g chopped almonds
- 25g buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp carob molasses
- A pinch of salt
To serve
- A few toasted almond flakes
Start by caramelising the bananas to make the ice cream.
Peel the bananas and cut them in 3-4 pieces lengthwise. Place a sauté pan on a medium heat with the coconut oil and honey. Give it a good stir. Add the bananas and cook for a few minutes undisturbed till they caramelise on one side. Turn over and brown the other side. Transfer to a blender.
In a saucepan put the coconut milk. Add the lecithin and using a thermometer bring the mix up to 500C whisking for a minute or so to fully incorporate. Remove from the heat and let cool. Add the coconut milk and cream to the bananas in the blender and blitz to a smooth consistency.
Transfer the ice cream mix to an ice cream machine and churn until set, then put into the freezer until needed. Take out of the freezer and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving, to soften.
Next, make the crumb.
Preheat the oven to 2000 C.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the carob and almond crumb with your fingers and spread on a baking tin lined with a silicone mat. Cook in the oven for a few minutes till golden brown. Take out of the oven and let cool.
To make the caramel, start by placing the content of the coconut milk can in a saucepan. Add the tapioca pearls and a pinch of salt, bring to medium heat and cook stirring till the tapioca is translucent, approx. 20 minutes. Remove the tapioca from the heat and leave to cool.
In a blender put the chopped dates and the cool tapioca and blitz to a smooth mousse. For a smoother finish pass the mousse through a sieve. Transfer to a piping bag.
Put the sugar and coconut oil in a small frying pan and bring to a medium heat. Add the pineapple pieces and cook till caramelised and brown. Sprinkle with the ouzo and remove from the heat.
To serve, pipe some mousse on a plate. Add a spoonful of crumb next to it and top with a caramelised banana ice cream quenelle. Sprinkle with some caramelised pineapple and scatter with some toasted almond flakes.