Celebrate Bob Marley's Birthday with this Jamaican Coconut Ice Cream Sundae

In honor of the late reggae king Bob Marley’s birthday, we’re “stirrin’ up” an Ital Sundae from Adam Schop, the chef at popular N.Y.C.-based Jamaican restaurant Miss Lily’s. For the uninitiated, the Rastafarian word “Ital” stems from the English word “vital,” and connotes a diet that increases life energy. According to Rastafari culture, this vitality is achieved through enjoying only natural, pure foods. “I wanted to create a vegan dessert like this coconut sorbet sundae to pay tribute to Marley and his amazing legacy,” says Schop. Turn up the reggae tunes and make a sundae for yourself using the recipe below. Irie.

Stir it Up Ital Sundae

Ingredients:

2 scoops coconut sorbet (store-bought or homemade, recipe below)

Peanut crunch (to taste), recipe below

Vegan banana bread (to taste), recipe below

5 slices caramelized banana, about the size of a quarter each

Coconut sorbet (yields 1 pt.)

½ can of coconut milk

1 cup of flaked unsweetened coconut

½ cup sugar

Peanut crunch

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

1oz water

½ cup of peanuts (no skin)

½ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp peanut oil

Vegan banana bread

4 over-ripe bananas

1½ cups of organic flour

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch allspice powder

Pinch salt

⅓ cup of dark brown sugar

¼ cups refined coconut oil

3 tbsp crushed peanuts

Caramelized bananas

1 banana

½ cup granulated sugar

Tools

Ice cream machine, if making sorbet from scratch

Candy thermometer

Directions:

To make the coconut sorbet:

Place coconut milk, sugar, and coconut flakes in a heavy bottom non-reactive pot and bring to simmer. After bringing to a simmer, remove from the heat and cover with an airtight lid allowing it to cool to room temperature. Strain mixture through fine mesh strainer and push until all liquid has passed. Pour into an ice cream machine until frozen. Transfer to container and keep frozen until ready to serve.

To make the peanut crunch:

Grease a sheet tray with peanut oil. In a heavy bottom saucepan, boil sugar, corn syrup, and water over medium heat. When sugar has dissolved, add peanuts and stir frequently until candy thermometer reaches 300°F. Remove from heat and stir in peanut oil and baking soda. Working in small batches, use a pair of tongs and carefully pour mixture on greased sheet tray. Using a large spoon, press the mixture to a sheet that is about ¼-inch high. Let mixture cool and use a rolling pin to break into small pieces.

To make the vegan banana bread:

Start by preheating oven to 350ºF, greasing bread pan, and chopping walnuts into smaller pieces. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt, and set aside. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas. Make sure not to leave any big chunks. Add the sugar and oil to the bananas and mix until evenly combined. Once the oil and sugar are incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients just enough for everything to come together. Next, gently fold in walnut pieces. Pour the batter into greased bread pan. Bake at 350ºF for 25-30 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Tear bread into ½-inch pieces and bake in the oven until dry and crunchy. Either serve warm on top of sundae, or let cool and keep in airtight container until future use.

To make the caramelized bananas:

Slice banana in 5, ¼-inch rings the size of a quarter. Sprinkle a thin layer of sugar on top of each slice. Using a torch, burn the sugar until golden brown. Let cool and peel the skin of the banana, being careful not to knock off sugar glaze.

To assemble:

Place two scoops of coconut sorbet on the bottom of the sundae dish, and top to taste with peanut crunch, caramelized bananas, and banana bread.