Banana Split




After several failed attempts at a deconstructed banana split we finally achieved our goal. Although banana foam and ice cream spheres did not work out, we still were able to capture the essence of a banana split. The banana foam was unsuccessful due to the low content of juice in the banana fruit. The ice cream spheres were unsuccessful due to their high viscosity and gum content. When we realized these ideas were no longer possible to create we decided to make some changes, but maintain the ingredients we originally started with. We decided to instead make cherry juice spheres, because of their low viscosity, and ice cream foam as an alternative to banana foam. The cherry juice spheres in basic specification did not cohere because they were too acidic, the pH was 5 when the necessary pH needed to be above 5. We discovered, however, that the cherry juice mixed with calcium lactate produced a gelatin that tasted like a cherry gel. We decided we would use this as our cherry portion. When making the ice cream foam we needed a puree texture. To achieve this we melted down the ice cream and added milk. We then boiled the mixture with water and sugar, a technique which would allow the sugar to dissolve and enhance the taste. When the sugar had dissolved we mixed in gelatin to make the mixture cohere. We then used an iSi foam whipper to give the foam it's airy texture, because foam is mostly air. The nitrous oxide cartridges we used allowed this to be possible by pressurizing the mixture with the gas they emitted. This gave the foam it's shape and texture. Our final touch was a frozen banana with melted chocolate adorning the top. The melted chocolate was heated on a double boiler to ensure it did not burn, but melted with a smooth texture.


-Zach and Claudia