Protein and low-calorie ice cream - Banana with ‘Dulce de Leche’

Introduction

This ice cream draws directly on the banana with dulce de leche version I tried here in this other recipe. It seemed perfect for trying to make a lighter, healthier version.

Where I saw the opportunity. The recipe is naturally low in fat, and you can replace the lean parts of the milk with proteins such as whey protein. This not only provides more protein, but makes the mix lighter to digest given the reduced amount of lactose.

One last change concerns the sugars in the recipe. Banana naturally has fructose, and given the search for a fresh flavour you can replace the added sugars with fructose, so that the glycemic index drops and there are fewer calories.

What we can't change, on the other hand, are the components of the dulce de leche swirl, whose balance depends on the producer.

Ingredients

• Ingredients for ~1kg:

Balancing

iCalc chart

Preparation

Tested with 800g using the machine Cuisinart ICE-100

1. Preparation:
   1. Combine all the mixed powders
   2. Mix milk and cream
   3. Slowly, pour the powders into the milk with the cream. I did it cold, without pasteurization, mainly to save time since no ingredient needs high temperatures
   4. Once ready and the powders are completely dissolved, you can let it mature in the fridge. I considered this optional, to save time and move straight to churning
   5. At the last moment before churning the ice cream, chop and add the bananas
   6. With the immersion blender process the whole mix to blend the ingredients and avoid lumps
2. Churning:
   1. 45 minutes of churning (Cuisinart ICE100)
   2. 1 minute before the end, turn off the machine and drizzle in the dulce de leche warmed slightly in the microwave to make it more fluid with a spoon, and swirl the ice cream
   3. Turn the machine back on after a few seconds. The ice cream may have warmed slightly from the impact with the dulce de leche. Let it run for another minute. Be careful not to churn too long, since the dulce de leche could mix in too much.
   4. Extracted at -6.5ºC
3. Minimum time in the freezer to reach temperature:
   1. 6h

Final notes and tasting test

• Serving temperature: -13ºC
• Meltability: Slow, creamy
• Crystallization: Slightly coarser than the normal version

Tasting test

The flavour is fresh and light. You can taste the banana and dulce de leche dominating the palate.

The flavour lingers slightly less in the mouth given the low fat percentage; on the other hand the banana flavour shines more and is more accentuated by the higher sweetness of fructose. The proteins are flavourl

The ice cream is decidedly lighter than its standard version, and with only 170kcal/100g and 9% protein you can stop worrying about your figure and not feel guilty if you eat a double portion!

Conclusions

The experiment worked, clearly with a flavour expectedly different from the classic taste, but we managed to get more freshness and lightness in the mouth compared to the classic recipe without the natural flavour being altered by the proteins. The only flaw, by the nature of the recipe, is the risk of coarser crystallization since there may be more free water and less lactose to manage it.

How did you find this first healthy recipe?