Grilled Banana Split with Smoked Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream

When developing your game plan for the best mixture of munchables to watch the Big Game, don’t forget the sweet stuff. Hit them with the savory snacks, and then bring it home with a decadent mixture of smoky, sweet ice cream (with a kick!), framed by grilled bananas and your favorite toppings. Traeger’ed Banana Splits are the cherry on top of the perfect Game Day celebration.

GRILLED BANANA SPLIT WITH SMOKED VANILLA BOURBON ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS

Ice Cream:

1 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups Half-and-Half
2 tsp. Bourbon
Seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean or 1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar

Banana Split:

4 ripe, but still firm Bananas, unpeeled, split lengthwise
Granulated Sugar
Jarred Chocolate, Butterscotch, Pineapple, or Strawberry ice cream toppings
Chopped Nuts
Sweetened Whipped Cream (Reddi-Wip® or homemade)
4 Maraschino Cherries

METHOD

Ice Cream Preparation:

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 3 hours
DIFFICULTY: 3/5
SERVES: 6 to 8
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Apple

• When ready to cook, start the Traeger on SMOKE with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes).
• Leave the dial on SMOKE.
• Combine the heavy cream and half-and-half in an aluminum roasting pan. Place them in the Traeger and smoke for 45 minutes.
• Once the cream mixture has smoked, remove it from the grill, add the bourbon, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Stir until it is fully dissolved, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Pour into an ice cream maker until it reaches a soft serve consistency. Next, put it into a plastic container and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until you are ready to assemble the banana splits.

Banana Split Preparation:

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 10-12 minutes
DIFFICULTY: 1/5
SERVES: 4
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Cherry

• When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on SMOKE with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes).
• Set the temperature to 450 degrees F (HIGH) and preheat, lid closed, for 10 to 15 minutes. Dip a stiff brass-bristled grill brush in water and brush the grill grate thoroughly before grilling the bananas (You don’t want any residual food particles from previous grilling on the bananas).
• Sprinkle the cut sides of the bananas lightly with sugar. Lay the bananas, cut-side down, on the grill grate. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
• Peel the bananas. Cut each banana piece in half, crosswise.
• For each serving, arrange 4 pieces of banana in a serving bowl. Top with 2 scoops (or more!) of Smoked Vanilla Bourbon Ice Cream, and a decadent drizzle of one or more of the ice cream toppings. Top with a lush mound of whipped cream. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired, and finish with a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.

PRINTABLE RECIPE:

Trager_Grilled_Banana_Split.pdf (50.14 kb)