Sticky Banana Pudding with Honeycomb Ice-Cream

A few days ago, I was lucky enough to acquire one of the now EXTREMELY rare copies of Geoff Lindsay's book- Chow Down. I have been looking for this book forever and since it went out of print years ago, it's nowhere to be found. I searched second hand book stores, put my name down on a waiting list at 'Books for Cooks' and even wrote to Geoff himself at Pearl. All to no avail. I did have a search set up on ebay though, which would notify me if and when it appeared on ebay and lucky for me, it finally appeared after months of waiting!! I managed to win the auction for almost $50, a bargain if you ask me!

Since the book is out of print, I'm sure Geoff wouldn't mind me including a couple of recipes for you all to try on here (I hope!)

Here is the first one I cooked from the book a couple of nights ago, Sticky Banana Pudding with Honeycomb Ice-Cream. It's very much like Sticky Date Pudding, but instead of dates, you use Bananas. I have to say I like it much better than Sticky Date, it seems a lot less 'sickly' than Sticky Date Pudding but is just as delightful to eat. Geoff's version is a classic in it's own right!
The recipe asks you to make the Honeycomb Ice Cream yourself, but I cheated, in a bid to save some time and visited Trampoline again and picked up some of their delicious 'Violet Rumble' ice cream.

Ingredients:

Caramel Sauce:
200g Brown Sugar
100g Unsalted Butter
150ml Cream (35% Fat)

Banana Pudding:
2 Ripe Bananas, skins on
125g Unsalted Butter
125 Castor Sugar
2 x 55g Eggs
75 Self-Raising Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Honeycomb Ice-Cream
125g Castor Sugar
125ml Water
1/2 Tsp Bi-Carb Soda
500ml Cream (35% Fat)
6 Egg Yolks

Method:

Caramel Sauce
Simmer the butter Sugar and Cream together to form a rich sauce

Banana Pudding
Preheat the oven to 200c
Roast the bananas whole with their skins on for 15 mins and peel


Cream the butter, sugar and eggs, add the bananas and flour and then pour the batter into four moulds that have been lined with caramel sauce.


Place the moulds into a bain-marie filled with hot water to reach half way up the sides


Cover the tops with foil and place in the oven for 40 mins



Honeycomb Ice-Cream
Caramelise the sugar and water
When the sugar is light golden, add the bicarb soda, stir and pour onto a tray lined with foil and leave to cool.
Warm the cream and pour over the yolks.
Return to the saucepan and cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Crush the honeycomb with a rolling pin, reserve the larger pieces and mix the smaller bits with the custard mixture.
Churn in an ice cream machine, as per manufacturer's instructions, when it is frozen, add the larger pieces of honeycomb.

To Serve:
Invert the Pudding on to a warmed plate.
Pour some extra caramel sauce over and top with a scoop of ice cream.