Cinnamon-Banana Tempura Ice Cream Split



Ingredients

For the cinnamon-banana tempura:
Vegetable oil (about 1 gallon) for frying
11/³ cups white rice flour, divided
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg yolk, beaten
1 cup cold seltzer or sparkling mineral water
1 tsp. pure walnut or vanilla extract
3 bananas, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters

For the rest of the split:
1½ pints ice cream of your choice
About ¾ cup sweetened whipped cream
About ¾ cup caramel or chocolate sauce
About ½ cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

Preparation

• To make the banana tempura: Pour the oil into an electric deep fryer, following the manufacturer’s filling guidelines. Heat the oil to 375 degrees.

• Combine 1 cup of the rice flour, the cinnamon and the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Place the remaining flour in another bowl and set it aside.

• In a medium bowl, combine the beaten egg yolk, cold seltzer water and walnut or vanilla extract. Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring just to combine.

• Work with 1 or 2 banana pieces at a time. Dust them evenly with the reserved rice flour to absorb any moisture and then shake off the excess flour. Dip the pieces into the tempura batter and, without allowing too much batter to drain off, quickly but carefully ease them into the hot oil. Repeat with 1 or 2 more pieces, but do not overload the fryer or the oil temperature will drop.

• Fry 1 to 2 minutes, until the bananas are crispy and ever-so-lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bananas to a paper towel-lined pan to sop up any excess oil.

• Repeat with the remaining bananas, working quickly while the batter is fizzy.

• To assemble the ice cream split, arrange 2 banana quarters in each of 6 dishes. Embellish with scoops of ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate or caramel sauce and/or chopped walnuts.