Fresh Homemade Banana Split

Fresh Homemade Banana Split
3 scoops ice cream - your choice of flavor
Homemade Fresh Strawberry Sauce
Homemade Fresh Pineapple Sauce
Homemade Fudge Sauce
Buttery Salted Roasted Pecans
Freshly Whipped Cream

Topped with a cherry and served in antique banana split boats.

Fresh Homemade Sauces for Ice Cream (Banana Splits)

I knew all along that when I made banana splits, I would use fresh fruit and keep the sauces as simple as possible. I have enjoyed the syrupy sauces I've eaten at the ice cream shops, but it is summer! Let us eat fresh fruit.

Fresh Strawberry Sauce for Ice Cream
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced and divided
1/4 cup sugar (or a little more if your berries are tart)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine about two-thirds of the strawberries with sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining strawberries and the vanilla. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before serving.

Fresh Pineapple Sauce for Ice Cream
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Pinch cinnamon

Combine pineapple with lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add cinnamon. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before serving.

Homemade Fudge Sauce for Ice Cream
2/3 cup cream
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
pinch of salt
6 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine cream, syrup, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and half of the chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, until the chocolate is barely simmering. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in the remaining chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

A Sampling of Banana Splits

Dairy King - Black Mountain, North Carolina

 

 



Earlier in the summer, we took Nina Linda to the Dairy King for an ice cream cone. As you can see from the photo, Dairy King is one of those old timey walk up to the window ice cream shops.

As we were enjoying our cones, I heard a lady from the next picnic table exclaim, "That is beautiful"! Of course, I had to turn around to gawk see what was so beautiful. Her husband had just set a banana split in front of her. It was indeed beautiful. I couldn't stop staring. Eventually, she stated that she was going to go ahead and eat it at about the same time Pritchard Parker started nudging me. Oh. Is it rude to stare at someone's food?

On the way home, I told him I had never had a banana split. I'm not sure why. I've had plenty of opportunities at those tasty freeze, dairy hut type places, but I always just had an ice cream cone.




My First Banana Split

The next day, I kept thinking about that banana split. Obsessing, really. When Pritchard Parker got home from work, I said, "Guess what's for dinner--banana splits"! My first banana split was made with vanilla soft serve ice cream. It was beautiful and delicious. (Pritchard Parker ate a proper dinner when we got home).

A few days later, I needed another banana split fix. This is the other style they serve at the Dairy King. It is made with hand scooped ice cream and you can order any of their flavors. I had chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Also this time, I had nuts--walnuts in syrup. This sundae was also beautiful and delicious.

Dairy Queen (the franchise) Banana Split



On a road trip, we stopped by a Dairy Queen for one of their versions of a banana split. Theirs, too, was beautiful and delicious. The girl who made it was very proud of it and served it with a huge smile. That made it taste all the better.

These are not all the banana splits I have eaten. But it was all done in the name of research. Because, you can probably guess what is coming. Yep, homemade banana splits.