Chocolate banana nice cream

Chocolate banana nice cream starts with well-ripened bananas. The day before, peel them, slice them into evenly thick rounds and spread them in a single layer on a plate lined with baking paper so they don't freeze into one block, then leave them to freeze overnight.

Take the frozen bananas out of the freezer and let them soften for 2 minutes at room temperature. Slightly softened pieces blend more easily and put less strain on the blender motor than fully frozen ones.

Put the bananas into a powerful blender or food processor and pulse them into a coarse crumb. Scrape down the sides of the bowl between pulses with a spatula so the pieces near the edge get mixed in too.

Blend in the cocoa and a pinch of salt and keep going until you get a smooth, glossy lump-free cream. The salt rounds out the chocolate flavor and the cocoa gives it a deep dark color and aroma.

Serve the finished ice cream right away as a soft-serve style treat, or transfer it to a container and put it in the freezer for 1 hour if you prefer a firmer scoopable texture.