Instructions

1. To make banana ice cream: Peel and slice very ripe bananas into 1 inch rounds.
2. Squeeze with 1/2 lemon or lime and turn to coat (to prevent browning).
3. Place in freezer quality or double zip top bag and freeze from 4 – 24 hours (the longer, the better).
4. Place 1/2 frozen bananas at a time in blender or food processor. Add in either 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped and/or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, if desired.
5. Blend 5 – 10 minutes, scraping down the sides of blender or mixer every few minutes.
6. Continue blending until all the bananas are completely smooth and creamy.
7. Pour banana mixture into a loaf pan or 8 inch square pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
8. Cover well with plastic wrap and return to freezer (2 hours for soft serve, 24+ hours for firm scoops).
9. Make the fudge sauce: Place pitted dates and milk of choice in blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Pour mixture through a strainer and into a medium size sauce pan.
10. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and stir about 10 minutes, until mixture becomes thick.
11. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder or chocolate until completely melted and smooth.
12. Transfer to a clean bowl or jar. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat, adding a little extra milk if needed to make sauce-like. (Good cold too as a thick fudge.)
13. Assemble sundaes: Scoop banana ice cream in advance and place on a plastic lined sheet tray. Return to freezer to firm, then pile into a large bowl just before serving.
14. Warm the fudge and add milk as needed to make sauce pourable.
15. Fill small serving bowls with your favorite toppings: whipped topping, maraschino cherries, chopped nuts, candies, sprinkles, chopped fruit or berries, other sauces.
16. Provide plenty of napkins, bowls and spoons and let guests help themselves!
17. Cover and freeze leftover banana ice cream and refrigerate fudge sauce.