Salted caramel banana tatins with crème fraîche ice cream

Ingredients

• 1  vanilla pod 
• 200 ml double cream 
• 100 ml milk 
• 3  egg yolk 
• 85 g brown sugar 
• 300 ml crème fraîche 
• 250 g puff pastry 
• 1  banana peeled
• 50 g brown sugar light soft
• 50 g butter 
• 2 tbsp double cream 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• whisk
• baking pan
• wooden spoon

Directions

1. To make the ice cream, split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds.
2. Put the pod and seeds in a saucepan with the cream and milk, and bring slowly to the boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale.
3. Pour the hot cream mixture over the egg and sugar, whisking continuously.
4. Pour back into the pan, set over a gentle heat and stir with a wooden spoon.
5. Heat gently until the custard mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, then remove from the heat.
6. Pour the crme frache into a bowl and whisk to loosen. Slowly pour in the hot custard mixture, whisking as you go.
7. Pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn until softly frozen.
8. Transfer to a container, then freeze for 2 hrs to firm.
9. To make the Tatins, roll out the pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a 1 coin. Using the banana as a guide, cut out 2 pastry lids big enough to fit over the banana, leaving a 1cm border around the edge.
10. Place the pastry on a baking tray and put in the fridge.
11. Set an ovenproof, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat.
12. Add the sugar, butter and cream, and cook for 5 mins until the sugar has melted and the caramel is bubbling.
13. Add tsp sea salt flakes. Slice the banana in half lengthways and place the 2 halves, cut-side down, into the caramel.
14. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas
15. Place a pastry lid on top of each banana half, tucking each in tightly around the edges. This can be done 1 hr ahead.
16. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20 mins until the pastry is risen and golden. Quickly and carefully turn out the Tatins, sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt and serve with scoops of crme frache ice cream.