Apparently, I have a thing for making ice cream in January.

Perhaps it's the fact that there's ample space in my freezer for the Kitchen Aid attachment.
Or maybe it's my subconscious way of saying this, too, shall pass, as even more snow falls from the grey Boston skies.
I suppose there is no "right" season for ice cream, when you're churning it yourself.

I mentioned last time that I absolutely love this book, The Perfect Scoop, from David Lebovitz. I have yet to make ice cream that is not adapted from one of his recipes-- they've all proven to turn out way too well to stray.

I had leftover salted caramel sauce that I'd given as gifts for Christmas, which was a really nice addition to this. I added just a bit while it was churning toward the end, and then drizzled some over the top before serving. It complimented the sweet, roasty banana flavor so well.

So, if the snow is falling and you've got some time to kill, churn out a batch of this. You'll be so glad that you did.

**UPDATE!**
I've made this about three times now, and have tried adding salted caramel, as depicted here, chopped dark chocolate (delicious, and the crunch was a nice texture element to add) and finally, rum raisins! This might have been my favorite yet. Soak some raisins in rum for a few hours, drain (reserve rum for a delicious shot after? Just me?) and add while the ice cream churns. Adds a nice little boozy kick!



Roasted Banana & Salted Caramel Ice Cream
From David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

What it's Made of:

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp salted caramel sauce, optional

How it's Made:

• Preheat oven to 400°
• Slice bananas into 1" or so pieces and toss with brown sugar and butter in a baking dish
• Bake bananas for about forty minutes, stirring once halfway through, until they are nicely browned
• Scrape bananas and syrup from baking dish into a blender
• Add milk, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt to the blender and puree until smooth
• Chill mixture for several hours or overnight before transferring to ice cream maker
• Churn ice cream according per your machine's instructions, drizzling in caramel toward the end
• Pack tightly in an airtight container and freeze. It will harden up overnight.