Pour in the cream (watching for splutters) and stir briskly until it melts magically into a thick, glossy sauce. Add the salt and simmer for a few minutes.
● Remove the pan from the heat and tip the caramel into a jar until needed. The sauce keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
● To make the ice cream: put the chopped bananas in a heavy-based pan with the milk and cream. Bring to a bare simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
● Towards the end of the cooking time, add the sherry.
● Remove from the heat and set aside for an hour to infuse. Discard half the bananas and transfer the rest, with the infused cream, to a food processor. Whizz to a fine purée then push through a sieve into a clean pan. Return to the heat and bring to a simmer.
● In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and glucose until thick and creamy. Slowly pour on a quarter of the hot banana milk, whisking continuously.
Return the mixture to the pan and whisk briskly.
● Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens to a custard consistency.
● Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and salt, and cool immediately in a sink of iced water. Stir from time to time to help the custard cool quickly. Refrigerate.
● When chilled and ready to churn, pour the custard into an ice-cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to a plastic container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.
● When ready to serve, tip the caramel into a small pan and warm gently. Blanch the dates for 1 minute in boiling water. Peel and discard the skins and stones, then dice the dates finely and add them to the caramel. Serve while warm with the ice cream.
